The Bird & The Bee
by Glasya Labolas Writes
Summary: Hibiya struggles with his attraction to his superhero partner, Songbird, as he matures. Meanwhile, Delic strives to get over his unrequited crush on Hibiya. [Miraculous Ladybug AU, but knowledge of Miraculous Ladybug not necessarily required.]
1. Hideous & Sexy

Hibiya Orihara smells like printed paper and earl grey tea, looks like the result of the sun and moon having a lovechild together, and sounds so enticing and angelic that Delic would believe that the young man is Metatron descended, even when his voice is marred with abject disgust.

Delic's not disillusioned though, he doesn't consider Hibiya _perfect_ or without flaws. (Hibiya has many.) The brunet, however, seems perfect _for_ Delic. At least that's what his heart has committed to, and Delic's not good at _not_ listening to his heart. In fact, he's _atrocious_ at it. The only other organ that seems to win against the reining champion is his dick, but the traitorous bastard has teamed up with his heart on this one.

The real problem here is that previously mentioned disgust, which is _always_ directed at Delic.

Hibiya Orihara finds Delic Heiwajima absolutely _abhorrent_.

Delic is fine with his crush being unrequited though. He is, really and truly. The brunet is hardly his first heartbreak, he can build a bridge and get over it eventually. Just maybe not today. Or maybe not until he graduates and doesn't have to see the other male around all the time. It won't be a long wait, he's a twelfth year and Hibiya's a tenth.

Delic opens his locker nosily and bit more forcefully than necessary as his mind strays. His locker is just a few rows away from Hibiya's, who has one next to the windows where the sun will be streaming in and caressing the brunet's outline like a he's a divine being walking amongst mortals, and, really, Delic doesn't need to see or think about that image anymore than he already does.

"Hibi's alone, Delili," comes a bubbly chirp from his pocket. Psyche rustles a bit in his uniform jacket before jumping out with a flutter of his wings. The petite bird kwami flies into the blond's open locker and excitedly hops about the books before settling on the spine of Delic's English textbook.

"He's _always_ alone," Delic retorts, unnecessarily whispering. Walking around with headphones or ear-buds on meant he could more openly talk to his kwami and be written off as being overly involved in his music, but it didn't mean that he always wanted to bring the attention to himself when he did it.

Psyche repeatedly straightens and bends his legs in a stationary hop on his perch, bouncing his round body like a ball. The first time Delic saw the creature do this he had thought it was the cutest fucking thing ever, but now? Now he knows better than to think an excitedly fixated Psyche was adorable. "Then _go over there_ and talk to him so he isn't!"

" _Hell no._ "

Psyche puffs up with agitation, ruffling the patch of pink feathers on his chest. "What're you scared of?"

"Uh, rejection?" Delic replies as if it were vividly obvious. Walking right up to Hibiya usually gains him a grimace and, frankly, that's more than enough of a reason not to bother. The brunet finds his very being _distasteful_. Delic understands a no when he hears it, even if it's in a roundabout way.

" _You?_ " The kwami squawks in disbelief. "You're rejected _all the time!_ "

Delic briefly considers sarcastically saying thanks, but Psyche's not lying and he really doesn't give a damn about it in the end. Instead, he very eloquently says, "My dick takes it very well. My heart? Not so much."

Psyche seems to relax with his honesty and, luckily, right on time to stop bickering before first period.

"C'mon," Delic nods, opening his jacket enough for Psyche to fly back in and nest himself back in his usual pocket.

"Maybe there'll be an attack at school today and you can swoop in and save him!" Psyche titters eagerly, though slightly muffled by the blond's clothes. Delic can feel the little bird shift in his jacket, hyper with hope.

Delic rolls his eyes. He doesn't want the kwami's love advice and he definitely doesn't want the person he's probably in love with to be in danger. Psyche is too idealistic, optimistic, and childishly hopeful. The millenniums old creature obviously doesn't grasp how humans go about this romance stuff. Again, Delic doesn't need to hear a hard _no_ when the brunet's posture all but shrinks away when he approaches.

"Don't jinx it, okay, Cupid?"

Psyche huffs in response, his feathers rustled all over. "You're lucky that I can't control you in the suit!"

Hibiya has been patiently sitting in his seat, waiting for his music teacher to finally address him so he may show off what he's practiced and perfected of his assigned piece, for most of the class. His teacher has been making her rounds with all of the students. It's taking her forever, but it shows how thorough she strives to be when teaching her students.

"Heiwajima-kun?" Hibiya freezes with recognition and refuses to turn around to glance at the blond as he's called upon. "I realize that you're beyond our point, but would you like to go next?"

Delic shrugs. "Any excuse to get my fingers on something so gorgeous." Hibiya's nose crinkles and he almost wants to gag.

The blond chances a glance at him as he walks past Hibiya's seat on route to the piano. Hibiya fixes his eyes ahead, finding a random spot on the adjacent wall to stare at so he won't meet the blond's gaze. If he doesn't look at Delic then he won't be acknowledging him and, if he's not acknowledging him, then Delic won't be inclined to flirt or say something downright filthy to him again.

Hibiya actually does choke out a gag then, accidentally recalling the blond's first words to him.

"Are your fingers always that amazing 'cause I've got something I'd like to see your hands play."

Those purred out words combined with the blond's staple seductive smirk had made Hibiya _a mess_. The deviant almost made him drop his violin from shock! Little did he know at the time that it would be one of the tamer things to fly from the loose blond's lips.

For weeks after their first introduction the blond was relentless with his vulgar comments. He would say something at any opportunity and it made Hibiya on edge. The brunet's anxiety was constantly playing "What body part will Delic sexualize next?" Fingers, hands, legs, rear, face. It didn't matter, Hibiya was just another collection of fetishize-able parts.

Then, after Hibiya's first month of school, Delic just… stopped.

Hibiya's anxiety stuck true, assured that the blond would do something again, but days turned to weeks and the weeks were passing by with nothing. Relief flooded his body when he realized that the blond had given up his chase. His anxiety still sits in his chest, however. Just waiting for the blond to turn towards him every time they cross paths, crawling under Hibiya's skin at the very sight of the other man.

Delic takes his seat on the piano's stool, bright smile ever present by the favored instrument. Hibiya's too far away to hear what the blond and their teacher are quietly conversing about, likely which part she's testing him on, and the brunet isn't interested enough to focus. Hibiya continues patiently waiting for his turn, violin at the ready, when Delic finally turns away from their teacher to begin.

Hibiya thought someone was playing an elaborate joke on him the first time he heard the blond play. He was a _natural_. Superior than a natural, it was as if the blond was born with the sole purpose of playing the piano in mind. Delic's filthy tongue would be exchanged for the elegant instrument and, lords above have mercy, the young man favored the romantic pieces. Hibiya couldn't resist the siren songs that flowed out of the blond's fingertips like water from a river. He was entrancing to see as well as hear, with a devoted expression that seemed antagonistic with Delic's usually loose behavior. It was like he was a different person; a person far more tolerable.

Hibiya cannot stop his eyes from lifting away from his person to Delic behind the piano keys. His shoulders are releasing their anxious tension, his anxiety melting away as he allows his ears to get lost in the melody.

Delic is near the end of the piece when there's a heavy crash that rocks the whole building. The sound startles him so badly that he strikes the wrong chord, the off-key note ringing out loudly like a pejorative.

"Dammit!" The blond yells while jumping from his seat.

"Hibiya!" Linda hastily whispers from the brunet's schoolbag., though Hibiya's already in action, putting back his instrument and standing up.

Their classmates are beginning to rouse with panic, the teacher none the better. Screams from other sections of the building cut through the walls and the students jerk up from their seats one by one, some charging towards the exit without their bags and others running to the windows for a look-see.

" _Hey!_ " Delic authoritatively yells from the front of the room. A few of the girls spook, never having heard that tone from the blond, and a couple of the boys hunch in on themselves, knowing exactly what Heiwajima could do if not listened to. "No rubber-necking! Everyone needs to evacuate, _now!_ "

There's another sudden quake, deep seated and reverberating, that rocks the whole school building. A number of the student shriek, others topple over, but they all manage to finally head towards the doors.

"What does it look like we have here?" Asks one superhero to the other.

"Looks like a standard bullying case," the taller of the two says and then clicks his tongue and angrily murmurs, "Why do kids gotta be like that?"

The akuma victim was an overweight boy whose power was, very obviously, to cause earthquakes when he stomped. It was so _generic_ , and that made the white and pink hero all the more _pissed off_. He was in the middle of _music_ class, dammit! Couldn't this've waited til math, maybe?! On the bright side, at least he has an impending fight to release his frustrations with, and he wasn't going to wait.

The other hero startles when he charges ahead without a word otherwise. "W-Wait! Songbird!" They call out too late as his feet meet the edge of the roof and he jumps.

"Brash fool," the gold, black, and white suited young man sighs, exhale bordering on dreamily. He hadn't even said where the akuma might be located.

The hero quickly scuttles to the edge of the roof where the other had leapt, watching with baited breath as the man swan dives towards the fray. Songbird lands on his feet as gracefully as one expects of a bird and continues speeding towards his target, eyes honed in and intensity visible through his white mask. The other man shivers, catching the look from a distance, and furiously shakes his head to snap himself out of his oncoming trance.

" _Less ogling! More helping!_ " Comes Linda's voice to cut through his thoughts.

Hibiya's hands instinctively rise to his hair to make sure the crown sitting atop of his head hasn't gone askew with his motions, as if it weren't being kept in place with magic to begin with. "Y-Yes." Leaping from the roof, the brunet chases after his blond partner.

Meters from the akuma target, Songbird stops and reaches behind his curved cape for the short, bent stick hidden from view. It extends as he pulls it from it's holster, curvy white limbs outstretching to thrice its size. The bow finishes constructing with a surge of magic, sewing the tight bow string into place. His fingers snap to position as his right hand orients against the bow with an invisible arrow. Aiming with one eye closed, Songbird hums to himself. "Where the hell are you hiding, damn crow."

Hibiya stops two yards from his partner to examine the akumatized victim with a closer look. The target was in a twisted, inverted version of their uniform, parts of the attire now jagged, fragmented, and askew to mimic the after-effects of an earthquake, but nothing else seems to truly stick out as unique. Maybe the akumatized item is hidden on their person somewhere.

"We need to check their pockets," the brunet announces and the other nods, already understanding his role. Songbird rears his arm back and magic jolts from his steady fingertips, the bright white snapping together in the form of an arrow as it's drawn back against the bow.

"On your mark, Hornet." Hibiya nods once before charging forward, route and steps already set.

The villain of the week turns their head towards the hero, finally noticing him as he rapidly approaches. They scoff at the sight and raise their right foot to bring down and shake the earth again. Hornet's about to breach arm's length and, as he does, the akuma stomps their foot down, but instead of it rocking the soil under the insectoid hero's feet, he's using his gained momentum to leap over them like a high jump bar. As Hornet soars over them, the akumatized boy meets Songbird's eyes from their adjacent distance and realizes their grave mistake as the hero releases his ready arrow. Songbird smirks as the bolt of light surges forward. The target stumbles back futilely and the arrow splits apart as it closes in. The ammunition hits and pierces through the akumatized victim's clothes, trapping them in place against the school building. They growl and their hands jerk up to yank out the arrows when the sharp point of a rapier rises to their throat.

"Why do they always fall for that?" The blond calls as he walks towards his partner.

"Because they're just children," Hibiya informs.

"Think we'll ever get a _real_ villain?"

"Please, just check their pockets."

"Right," Songbird mindlessly replies as he puts away his weapon on the trek over.

"Who're you calling _a child?! I am-_ "

"I don't really fucking care, sorry." The blond interjects casually, unceremoniously shoving his hand in the student's pocket. Grasping a slip of paper, he pulls out the brightly colored advertisement. "Cooking contest?" _Whatever._ He's not really here to solve someone's self-esteem issues or whatever stupid nonsense his fellow teens are dealing with. Ripping the ad in two, it crackles with black sparks that bond together and caws back at the trio as it hastily flaps it's wings to get away.

Songbird hears the familiar _swish_ of Hornet's rapier before he sees the silver blur. The crow is sliced in two and bursts with a golden light, resetting it back to it's natural state as a common dove as it continues to fly away. The blond calls his arrows back with a terse whistle and the victim drops to the bushes of flowers alongside the school, slowly snapping to blearily awareness as their trance is lifted.

Hornet withdraws his weapon back into its sleeve and looks over his partner. Through the pink film over his eyes on his white mask, Hibiya can read that the other is still upset.

"You're...angry?" The brunet inquires gingerly.

Songbird sighs, "I was just in the middle of something that I hate suddenly stopping. I'll be alright. Would've been nice if these akuma weren't utterly pathetic and actually put up a decent fight."

Hibiya nods, his striped gloved fingers fidgeting against one another. He wants to get back to class, Hibiya dislikes being tardy as often as his job requires, but he also doesn't want to walk away from his agitated partner. "You seem eager for a fight, Songbird."

"Beating up bad-guys lets me release some stress and keeps me from feeling like shit for pummeling someone up," the blond freely admits. "I think I'll go looking for some sleazy guys in Kabukichō tonight. Don't feel obligated to join, if you've got better plans." With that, the pink earrings on the man beep nosily, their white wing emblems flashing.

"Until later," Songbird says, flashing a bright smile at his partner before running off.

Hibiya sighs softly to himself as he watches the other man disappear, his own miraculous beeping to warn him of an incoming de-transformation.

"You're ogling again," Linda's voice chimes in over the brunet's thoughts. "You're right though, he does have a nice ass. Songbird wears that velour catsuit like he was born to wear it." The other young man had never lacked any confidence while strutting around in the unusual white and pink suit, even the blind could see that for certain.

Hibiya startles, gloved hands shooting to cover his red flushing face. He shakes his head, as if the motion will dislodge the image of a velvety stark white rear from behind his eyelids. "I'm _abhorrent,_ " he moans aloud, though a tad muffled.

"You're sixteen, it's natural. Now, worry about finding a place to hide and de-transform!"


	2. This is Crazy (It's Hard to Look Right a

The scaled beast had roared at Hibiya upon advancing, its three sets of legs stomping and fissuring the cement. He could jump, leap high enough to grab at one of the fire-escapes on the side of one of the apartment buildings on either side, but, head to head with his first akuma, Hibiya had just froze in place against the brick wall at the dead end of the alley he had unknowingly run into. Then, right when the brunet could feel his skin rub against the abrasive wall through his suit, _he_ had shown up.

The pink and white blur dropped from one of the adjacent rooftops like a rock, their foot connecting with the Akuma's head and using it as a stepping stone to pivot around, placing themselves between the two. Hibiya shook against the wall of the dead-end and watched, taking in the bright silhouette against the backdrop of the snarling beast now baring its teeth and boring its glaring red eyes at the other young hero. Linda tried to whisper reassures in his mind, but the kwami's voice is drowned out by the ringing of his blood in his ears.

The akuma roared again before leaping forward, maw agape and rows upon rows of fangs ready to tear flesh. The other hero spins on their heel, ducking under and to the left of its jaw as it clamped down on the air with a noisy grind. Hibiya's heart clenches as the monster's attention is back on him with the other hero out of sight and, thus, out of its mind. He doesn't hear the muted feet charging towards him nor the fresh roar from the beast before there are hands touching places they shouldn't be and the wind is screaming in his ears.

The brunet snaps out of his frighten daze as distance is put between his person and the ferocious akuma. The world is brighter outside of the tucked away alley and the warm blue of the sky is all Hibiya sees through the strands of his hair wildly dancing with the wind. It's a gorgeous day, sunny and breezy, and Hibiya feels his thudding heart calm with the view. That is, until the hand under the back of his thigh shifts and Hibiya finally realizes that he's scooped up in the arms of a stranger whose leaping from rooftop to rooftop like a child playing with a multicolored titled floor.

Hibiya flails wildly to free himself and causes the other hero to stumble, their foot meeting the edge of a rooftop awkwardly and tipping the duo forward, towards the unforgiving pavement stories below. He shrieks at the sight, arms reflexively latching onto his captor's neck. Their foot slips from the ledge with a final, determined push and Hibiya squeezes his eyes closed to brace himself for a fatal fall. The brunet is suddenly re-aware of how thin his suit feels, vividly feeling the other's arms tighten their hold on him and the wind suddenly swirling around them.

They meet the ground with a heavy thud that is immediately followed by the cracking of pavement. Hibiya yelps as he awkwardly lands on his side on a bony pavement that grunts in response.

"You okay?" Asks a breathless voice by his head.

Hibiya sits up and turns, jerking still at the sight of the other man under him. The blond on his back has his hair mused in all directions from the wind and a wide, stunning smile brimming with excitement over the transpired events. A white mask covers most of his face and the pink film over the holes for his eyes ensure that Hibiya will never know the true color of those entrancing, sparkling eyes.

"Yes," the brunet manages to exhale and the other hero's smile softens.

"Are you still scared?"

Hibiya stutters, unable to give a fixed answer. He isn't a fighter, rapier attached to his hip now or not. He had just frozen up, like a deer in headlights or like a rabbit against the den wall with a fox at the door! He wasn't superhero material, whoever this guy was was more cut out for this. If the akumas he has to fight and purify were as terrifying as that one was or worse, there was no way Hibiya could get used to this! Could Chosens be wrong? Surely his kwami had the wrong person!

 _Nope_ , whispers Linda with a pop of his lips.

"Hey," the other young man softly murmurs, placing a comforting hand on Hibiya's shaking shoulder. "It's okay. I wasn't expecting _a dragon_ on day one either, but I think I can totally do this one alone if you don't think you can handle fighting it." His voice is gentle and soothing, like honey to the brunet's ears and, despite his word choice, Hibiya doesn't feel condescended to.

 _I told you that your partner would understand,_ Linda supplies. _Everyone takes to their Miraculous differently._

"P-Partner?" Hibiya flushes as his brain snaps to attention. His eyes snap to the handsome young man _he's still seated upon_ and promptly squeaks and scrambles to his feet. Hibiya's skin shivers at the places where their suits met and his face burns as the back of his thighs phantom the sensation of something he definitely doesn't want to think about sitting on.

"The name's Songbird, apparently." The blond joins Hibiya on his feet, absentmindedly brushing dirt and gravel from his suit. Hibiya's eyes dart to the ground to avoid glancing at the other man's crotch and he belatedly notices the crater they've left behind. How on Earth was Songbird already up and fine from that? And Hibiya had landed on top of him, too! Wait, Hibiya was definitely closer to the ground than he was when they began to fall.

"Are you alright?" Hibiya finds himself asking with fidgeting fingers. "You took the fall for me."

Songbird's gaze lifts from his suit and Hibiya's heart seizes under those twinkling eyes.

"It was nothing, literally." He smiles brightly and Hibiya's knees are jelly. "I have an unnaturally sturdy body as is and the suit soaked up a lot more than it looks like it should."

Hibiya risks raking his eyes along the other young man's body. His suit was a full white until the peak of the chest and clavicle where pink bloomed down in a V shape from his nape. It was less skin tight in appearance compared to Hibiya's, giving a slightly padded appearance. The velour of his suit had been so soft and vaguely silky to Hibiya's gloved touch. _Like feathers,_ Hibiya thinks sluggishly. A bubblegum pink cape completed his look, covering his shoulders and draping down to the beginning of his thighs. Songbird's hands seemed to be fighting his cape back, having to poke the limbs out as it naturally hung to cover the limbs.

"So," Songbird trails. "Do I get the name of the handsome young prince I just so valiantly saved or should I guess what you're supposed to be? Hibiya flush renews itself as he blinks in surprise. The blond called him handsome! And royalty? Right, the golden barrette in his hair had turned into a _crown_ of all things!

"...Queen Bee?" Songbird tries when Hibiya stays quiet for too long.

"Hornet," he corrects.

"Scary," the blond smirks back humorously. "So, about that akuma?"

Hibiya brandishes his weapon hesitantly. The golden handle is cold in some places and warm in others from where it rested on his hip. The thin blade gleams where it sun hits it and it makes a faint _whoosh_ when he swings it for a better feel of its weight in his fingers.

"Do you know how to use one of those things?"

"Absolutely not," Hibiya retorts immediately. His father had taught him self defense as best as he could. He had tried to encourage Hibiya towards knives, but the brunet had always faltered and fumbled, too afraid to accidentally cut himself to use a switchblade properly.

"Just let me handle this, then. I don't want you getting hurt." Songbird says with concern. "My kwami says I'm almost useless without a purifier, so we really can't risk losing you."

Hibiya feels himself pulled in two directions. He can't fight a monster, he can barely defend himself against a human being, but Songbird shouldn't have to do this alone. They're meant to be partners in this, as Linda has said several times by now.

"But, _you'll_ get hurt in my stead-"

"No big deal," the blond says dismissively. His shoulders are laxed and confident, not a speck of a fear to be seen on his person. Hibiya _doesn't_ understand this man. Sure, his suit _will_ reduce damage, but the blond _saw_ the jaws full of teeth designed to rip into meat. "I'll be fine, I'll bring back the akuma-thingy for you!"

Hibiya opens his mouth to protest further when Songbird charges off of the ledge of the rooftop and towards the distant roaring and screaming. He startles, rapier swinging dangerously close with the jerky motion, and re-sheathes the weapon to chase his partner.

Hornet, despite his tighter and thinner suit, is definitely not as fast as his counterpart. (Or perhaps, not as eager.) Hibiya wonders if it's his lack of confidence, lack of agility and overall physical fitness, or if Songbird got something extra with his transformation. It takes the brunet over two extra minutes to catch up and, when he finds a roof to perch atop safely, he can see Songbird and the dragon akuma are already facing one another down.

The beast roars as the hero steadily approaches. Songbird's posture is blasé and almost irritating to Hibiya with how little apprehension he shows in front of the akuma, but there's a dangerous grin on display that swirls something unfamiliar in his gut. Hibiya's gaze on the two narrows as the other hero stops in front of the snarling beast. He appears to be talking to himself or the akuma, and the brunet can barely hear the hero when he focuses.

"-and all the damage that was caused is gone?" Songbird quiets as if someone is answering him, then his shoulders pop up with an excited bounce as his grin stretches." _No consequences,_ " he purrs, throwing his cape over his shoulders to crack his gloved knuckles.

Songbird's kwami must say something to him again, the blond's head jerking up with confusion. "My weapon? What weapon? I've got two hands, don't I?"

" _Good lord,_ " Linda sighs heavily, broadcasting the noise in Hibiya's mind. "You don't always have to pick such _savages_ , Psyche." The kwami chastises to themselves and Hibiya. Linda knows too well how Psyche adores passion over reason and how his chosen always reflect that in the best and worst ways. At least if that human has some experience and skill with fighting, their job will be easier. Hibiya's not the most frightened nor the most inexperienced Hornet Linda's ever had to deal with, but he definitely needs some work.

"Why is he just _idly_ _standing there_ in front of that monster?!" The brunet demands aloud as the akuma tires of the act too. The beast roars again as it charges forward.

Songbird's eyes widen a fraction as the beast runs straight at him with its maw agape. His arms shoot forward instinctively, both hands diverging to grasp the beast's top and bottom jaw. His feet plant into the cement as the akuma's weight and speed pushes him backwards, his heels digging into the broken cement and piling and pushing it back as he's forced to cede space to the beast. The blond's lip rises slightly in disgust, getting a closer look into the moist, drooling mouth of the akuma.

"My, what big teeth you have, Grandma," he quips lightly. The akuma tries to growl, a wet vibrating noise coming from its throat instead. Songbird's head suddenly tilts, his eyes narrowing in annoyance. "What do I need a bow for? I've got this under-" The blond jerks away sharply, ducking to the ground as the akuma rams itself forward with its rear legs, snapping it's jaws shut with a loud _clack_ of its teeth.

Hibiya's hand shoots up to cover his mouth. From his perch, he can't see the other hero, but he also can't see him in the beast's maw. The akuma seems to be in the same position, head darting around with a foaming snarl. The dragon sniffs around before turning its attention to Hibiya on the nearby rooftop. The brunet feels its eyes boring holes through his suit and into his skin from below. Then the creature is suddenly at his height, and then _above_.

"O-Oops?" Songbird stutters from the pavement, his two arms frozen in a raised position as the akuma shoots into the sky. Hibiya releases a shaky breath as he looks down with wide eyes.

He had thrown it.

 _He had thrown it?!_

The blond gazes down at his hands and says something softly to himself and his kwami. Whatever they say in response gets an open grimace and mutter back.

The akuma falls back to earth with a loud, distressed roar. It slams into the side of a building, scraping down the side and dropping into a bloody heap on the street. There's a faint cracking of plastic as the monster lands with a cry. The few people still out while the city is under attack shriek at the sight and run in opposite directions. As people flee, the akuma is absorbed in a bubbling mass of black. The tarry mass encases the entire akuma before separating, leaving a disoriented child with a broken toy dragon behind.

The black mass bubbles itself into a crow and caws as Songbird approaches from the alley. The bird flaps its wings, taking off hastily as the blond jerks into a run. "H-Hey!"

A glint of light flashes through his vision, forcing him to squint, as the crow shrieks with a cry. Songbird blinks to recover his sight in time to watch the crow dissolve like soap bubbles, a rapier pierced through its body like a makeshift javelin. The rapier slips free, clattering to the ground as the newly purified bird coos and takes to the sky.

Hibiya's arm drops and his fingers fidget. He hesitates, not sure how he's supposed to get down from the rooftop he's on, and scoots to the edge to drop down with Linda's gentle reassures that it'll be safe with the suit on. His golden cape flutters as he drops down, landing surprisingly gracefully despite the height. Songbird is stepping back into the alley with the shimmering rapier laid in his palms as Hibiya's knees wobble, from the drop or the man, he's not sure.

"I knew you could do it," the blond smiles, bright and proud. Hibiya's stomach flutters like butterfly wings and his face flushes pink.

"Thank you," he manages to say without fumbling. Taking the weapon back, he re-sheathes it, the rapier making soft rubbing noise as it slides into the leather scabbard. Hibiya yips as it tingles on his hip once clipped back into place.

The handle of the weapon glows and erupts with a harsh yellow light, spreading beyond the alley and throughout the city. Songbird's head jerks to the street as the damage repairs itself. The broken cement under their feet re-knits itself together, like magnetized jigsaw pieces connecting together. The light disappears as quickly as it had spread, leaving no sign of an akuma attack behind.

"The people that were hurt by the dragon are back to normal too," the blond tells Hibiya before turning on his heel. The word _wait_ is teetering on his lips, hesitant but desiring. Hibiya swallows it down as Songbird looks over his shoulder with that ever-present smile that melts the brunet's insides.

"See you next time, Wasp." The blond bends his knees and launches himself into the sky, grabbing at the edge of an adjacent building to climb onto its roof.

Hibiya's face flushes red as he flusters. "It's _Hornet,_ " he yells back with a hand cupped around his mouth. Songbird peers over the ledge a final time, amused eyes twinkling with an _I know_ before disappearing in the city.

Hibiya's miraculous beeps shrilly from atop his head, startling him out of his dazed stare at the empty ledge. What was _wrong_ with him?! Pretty boys don't flare him up like this! He's seen male bodies before; and the other hero was dressed as much as he was! But he's never been touched like that before, or held so close that he could smell the shampoo in another man's hair. Realization pierces through his chest and heart like his rapier had the crow. Ridiculous childhood fantasies had come back to haunt him in the worst (best) ways. Ever since the first strokes of puberty, fond remnants and memories of childhood began revealing more and more signs of his blooming sexuality. It was so obvious now why he wanted to gush on about valiant and heroic knights and would lose interest in stories after the princess was saved.

Hibiya's hands slap to his red face, covering it in shame. There was absolutely no way that he would live if he pops a boner in a revealing skin-tight suit in the middle of a dingy alley. How was he supposed to work with that man all the time without making an absolute fool of himself?!

Delic didn't really expect Hornet to show up that night in Kabukichō. The young hero often mentioned having a lot of educational responsibilities, even occasionally surprising Delic and reprimanding him for his open dismissal of the importance of homework. Spending a night beating up purse snatchers and gropers wasn't the kid's idea of fun at all. Granted, it wasn't Delic's either, but he'll happily take the distraction. Once word got out that he was scoping around the area, activity would die down and he can waste time perched on a club roof and listen to the music bursting through the walls.

"Skipping cram school to come to Kabukichō?" Delic smiles from his seat on the railing overlooking the busy streets below. "Have you become a delinquent, Hornet?"

Hornet huffs, his nose wrinkling with lightly hidden amusement. "I thought," he begins hesitantly, fingers mindlessly playing with the railing as he steps to Delic's side. "Rather, you seemed… upset earlier. I thought, perhaps you could use… an ear o-or a shoulder?" The brunet is bleeding pink around his black mask when he finishes. His eyes dart from the railing to his hands to Delic's face to Delic's eyes to the floor repeatedly and in any other possible order.

Delic blinks in surprise, mouth gaping minutely. His mousey partner was adorable at times, with the shy schtick and worrying so much about him.

"Thank you for your concern," he coos, leaning over and into the brunet's space. "I was just a bit moody earlier, is all."

Hornet flushes further, his head bowed slightly from the blond had closing in. His fingers jerk from the railing to knit together and fidget against one another. "I-I'm relieved."

The duo quiet, the noises of the busy city keeping their silence exclusive to the rooftop. After two minutes of being idle, Delic asks, "Are you staying to patrol?"

"Oh! I..."

"Tsukumoya probably has it everywhere that we're in Kabukichō now. The night's gonna get quiet, definitely nothing I can't handle alone."

"You'll stay when it's unnecessary?" Hornet asks, brows knitting from under the mask.

"I like listening to the music the club play," Delic admits easily, lips quirking into an open smirk.

The brunet hero smiles petitely and nods. Through the yellow film shine two gentle eyes lifting to meet his. "Have a nice night, Songbird."

"And to you, Hornet."


	3. I Love Myself, I Want You to Love Me

"I never expected you of all students to slack off, Orihara."

"Forgive me, Sensei. Other responsibilities have garnered and absconded with my attention as of recent."

"No, no," the math teacher waves their hand dismissively. "I've never seen you relax in class, and it's only a few points. I know that you'll make it back up in no time. Don't be so hard on yourself, you're still a kid."

"Thank you, Sensei." Hibiya bows respectively, though his mind swirls like a flurry. Ten points off of his grade wasn't _a few_ , it was enough to lower his grade from perfect to above average. When his father sees his latest report, he'll look at Hibiya with those disappointed eyes like a dog that pissed upon the carpet. He can't risk the imperfection and there has to be something he can do to fix his error before the finalized reports are sent out.

"Perhaps there is some extra credit I could complete to raise my grade back up?"

The teacher falters, visually thinking it over. "Well, I don't have extra credit… But, if you're desperate, I reward extra points towards grades for participating in our tutoring initiative. As a tutor or as the tutored."

The brunet's eyes widen. It was perfect! He could catch up as well as recover his slipping grade. His superhero duties hadn't eaten so much into his education that he couldn't repair it.

"Where do I sign up?"

Hibiya huffs, speedily walking down the rooftop stairs and down the hallway. He hadn't anticipated an akuma after school and now he was late for his first tutoring session. Sure, most akuma victims were children, but couldn't they hold off til just a bit later in the day to show up? Hibiya's still not sure if he can handle a life like this. He preferred his days fully planned out with minimal alterations. But, on the other hand, he got to see Songbird earlier than usual. Hibiya's heart skips a beat as he reminisces about the way the sunlight on the other hero's already golden hair makes him glow like a Greek God. Hibiya only recently began to understand why so many women would throw themselves at Zeus in the ancient myths.

"Relax," Linda whispers from inside the brunet's school jacket. "Just say you got caught up in the library and then blame the attack. Easy peasy."

Hibiya nods, halting at the door to gather himself before letting himself in. The school began accepting the excuse once the attacks became common place. One could never be sure what an akuma could or would do, even the government seemed a bit peeved by it, despite Japan's resident superheros promptly dealing with them each and every time.

Sliding the door open, Hibiya stills, positive he has the wrong room. Sitting atop one of the desks with a bored expression is the blond lech. Hibiya's head spins to check the room number, but no, he _is_ at the correct room.

"You're late if you're here for the math tutoring," Delic says pleasantly enough, but Hibiya's suspicions and anxiety crawls across his skin like a spider.

" _Too_ late?" He hesitantly asks.

"Nope, just too late to have your pick of the tutors." It's then that the blond _winks_ at him and causes Hibiya to recoil, his shoulders hunching in on themselves. "Guess you're stuck with me."

Hibiya suddenly stiffens, his posture going rigid and his eyes filling with anguish. "I will accept my sub-par grade as is." He turns on his heels quickly, ready to bolt out of the room.

"Woah, wait!" Delic jumps from the desk, long legs darting to the door in time to hold it closed. Hibiya whirls on him, his back pressing against the door and fear blooming in his eyes. Their five inch height difference has the blond looming intimidatingly over him, his arm holding the door shut trapping Hibiya on one side.

"Hey, uhm," Delic relaxes, pulling back and out of the smaller man's space to try and remove that rabbit-hearted look from Hibiya's face. "Studying seems _way_ more important to you than it does me, so… I promise to keep my tongue to myself, if you can put up with me for a little bit."

The door creaks faintly as Hibiya presses his body against it. He eyes the blond suspiciously. Delic appears genuine enough and he could always flee later if need be. Hibiya supposes he can acquiesce this once, if only because he keeps track of the school-wide grades. Delic gives off the vibe of a slacker when it comes to his education, and it's probably a true assessment, but no one has managed to knock the blond from the top scoring pedestal when it comes to mathematics. It's a shame such talent is wasted on the vulgar and unmotivated.

"I," Hibiya hesitates, "accept, but you _must_ keep your word."

"Cross my heart, beautiful."

Hibiya glares openly, hugging his bag of books like a shield. Sheepishly, Delic smiles. "So, what do you need help with?"

Hibiya seems to already know all of the material they go over. The brunet obviously doesn't really need tutoring, more like a simple refresher he likely could've done by himself on his phone. Why he thinks he needs tutoring is beyond Delic, but he'll never complain about getting a front row seat to watch this gorgeous angel silently work. After skimming over the week's lessons, Delic had passed over one of the mock tests for Hibiya to work on and the two had devolved into a pleasant silence. Happily, he had popped back in his ear-buds to faintly play a radio station while he openly stared. Hibiya had yet to mind, so Delic hadn't bothered being sneaky about looking.

Hibiya's eyelashes flutter as his gaze narrows, his peach lips pressing against one another with light frustration at a question. He probably tastes of waxy, flavorless lip balm, but he'll have all of the lovely bonuses of silky lips. And the brunet's skin always looks so smooth, he probably moisturizes every night. His fingers running and rubbing all over his skin each night. Delic can appreciate that, really, _really_ appreciate it. It must get tiring to do routinely and he's open to helping! _Very_ open.

Psyche's feet press against his thigh and squeeze, tiny bird talons digging through Delic's pants and into his skin. _Not while I'm in here,_ the action screams at him. Delic grits his teeth. It was Psyche's own fault for not picking a shirt pocket this time! He knows how poorly Delic controls himself around the brunet!

"Are you alright?" Hibiya asks curiously, though hesitant. Those pretty dark lashes flutter at him with slitted eyes and Delic doesn't even mind that his cock is probably close to being pecked at.

"Perfect! I just remembered that it's my night to pick up groceries." He saves smoothly. It wasn't entirely a lie, but he was positive that he was going to be asked to tonight anyway. Tsuki couldn't be sent out alone and his dad worked late more often than not.

Hibiya's suspicious look falters into one of confusion. "Your parents have you do the shopping?"

"Yours never ask you?"

"My father has an assistant for that," Hibiya answers honestly. "Anything we want or need purchased is told to her."

Delic's heart clenches oddly, beating a sad melody for the younger male. He knows Hibiya comes from a posh, sheltered home, but picking up hints of how lonely a life like that must be stings fresh each and every time. Hibiya's home life sounds quiet, too quiet, and cold. Delic can't imagine a life like that. He's the noise of his own household and no matter how silent the three of them ever get while with each other, it's a comfortable, warm silence.

"Is he ever around?" Delic asks gently, not wanting to push into a subject that might cause the brunet to clam up or overreach his boundaries.

"My father? He… works, most of the time." Hibiya's lips press tightly, visibly uncomfortable.

Delic silently reads his face as he weights his options. He's probably the last human being on Earth that Hibiya could want comfort from, but, dammit, he's here anyway. Determination floods his vision as he slowly reaches over, giving Hibiya ample time to retract his hand from the desk if he doesn't desire the contact. Hibiya's hand shakes, startled when Delic covers his hand with his own.

"You don't have to let that loneliness eat you, y'know." He offers softly, almost whispering.

"Excuse me?" Hibiya's voice dips with faux insult, yanking his hand away.

"I'm not coming onto you, I swear, I just. I know that look."

"Even if your assessment of my feelings were correct, what would _you_ know of loneliness?" Hibiya's tone bites, and Delic doesn't need to hear the absent _Mister Popular_ hovering in the air like a ghost.

"Enough to not to want others to experience it," Delic pushes, anger starting to seep over into his voice, "but if you really want my credentials, feel free to ask." Despite offering, the words come grounded out like a warning.

Hibiya jolts in his chair. His eyes downcast in shame, his bottom lip sinking to be bitten. "I," he hesitates, breathing deeply to gather himself, "apologize for my untoward hostility."

Delic shrugs one shoulder. "It's fine. I'd be pissed if someone implied my dad was shitty too."

The brunet's nose scrunches with distaste. "Is there a reason why your words must be so unnecessarily vulgar?"

"My socialization," he retorts with a smirk. "We can't all have speech patterns with cute quirks."

Hibiya shifts with slight discomfort at the compliment. "Your presence is far more tolerable when you keep your perversions to yourself."

Delic almost laughs over Hibiya's word choice with _perversions_ , instead, he freezes. His heart throbs as if struck through by an arrow. He was _tolerable_. Hibiya found his nearby existence _tolerable_. That was massive progress! That meant he could do things like say hello to the brunet in the hallwayand not be grimaced at! Delic wonders which god he owes thanks to, but the only one his mind supplies him with is the previously agitated bird ready to fight his dick for space in his pocket.

 _Oh god, don't think about Hibiya being nearby and your dick, you fucking idiot! You just crawled out of the hole you dug!_

Hibiya Orihara is absolutely the type to freak out if he became aware that his study-mate popped a boner across from him.

Hibiya perks when his phone rings with a poppy melody from his schoolbag. Delic's head tilts instinctively, trying to pick out the familiar song. "I must be getting home," the brunet supplies, snapping Delic's attention back. He collects his books and papers quickly, but hesitates after standing up from his chair.

Hibiya's mouth opens and closes once, before awkwardly saying, "Thank you for your help, Heiwajima-senpai."

The brunet darts out of the room before Delic can say anything, not as though he could. Hibiya had delivered the one-two punch no one else seemed capable of. Delic's lungs burn for air and his heart is beating out a fast rhythm he's only ever heard computers manage, it pulses with throbs as if someone had emptied out his quiver on the organ.

"You've got it _ba~d,_ " Psyche sings, stretching his wings after wiggling himself free. "I've told you; all you need to do is swoop in and save him! He'll be yours for sure!" The bird kwami chirps confidently.

Psyche doesn't know the half of it. His heart has it bad, but even worse for the blond is his dick, eagerly wanting to jump at every generic scenario that flies through his mind due to the brunet's words. All those times he openly ignored class to watch Hibiya's outdoor gym classes have reared back quite literally. The image of the brunet's pert ass in their school-standard blue shorts is burned into the back of his eyelids, previously saved and cherished in the mental folder openly labeled _Spank Bank_.

 _Isn't there something you could do to help me with my physical fitness, Heiwajima-senpai?_

Trying to enjoy his slow, agonizing descent into the hole turned grave, Delic waves a hand at the bird on his leg. Psyche flutters to the desk with a huff. With the dazed look his Chosen's getting in his eyes and the nearest bathroom being down the hallway, they could be sitting here for awhile. Psyche knows exactly what to do to spare them both the wasted time. Flying and perching upon Delic's head, his small chest expands out as he inhales to full lung capacity.

" _Pocky! Pocky! Pocky!_ " The bird kwami chants, hopping up and down atop the blond's head and flapping his wings noisily.

Delic groans loudly, deflating in his chair as he drags his hands down his face.


	4. Better Ways to Spend a Night

Hibiya finishes all of his homework efficiently once he gets home and is immediately left with a dilemma. He could spend the remainder of his night as he always had, studying or reading, or he could transform and head out. Spending a night with his crush is definitely the superior option, perhaps he can even learn more about the other man. He and Songbird hadn't talked about patrol after today's early akuma, both too preoccupied with prior engagements, but the bird hero was more of a night owl, and his sightings were frequent enough to garner several blogs about tracking the hero, which, of course, Hibiya absolutely and shamelessly followed.

Songbird was infinitely more personable and sociable than Hornet, and, with the help of his handsome face, his routine patrols around Tokyo quickly elevated him to a mock-idol status. People would flock to the latest sighting locations when akumas weren't a concern, hoping to see the hero in the flesh or get a few words with him. Despite all he had going for him, Songbird seemed to neither revel in nor hate the attention. Hibiya's simultaneously fascinated and baffled with what could possibly be driving the other hero.

Some fights Songbird's eyes focus in on their target with a strange glimmer and his grin spreads madly, and Hibiya's positive in those moments that the other hero is a thrill-seeker, moving more on impulse than with considerable thought. Songbird has avoided using his hands in battles ever since their very first akuma, but with these fights he wastes more time twisting around the akuma, almost dancing, as he encourages it on in some manner. The blond outright plays with some of their foes! His overconfidence will surely be his downfall and Hibiya's heart already can't handle the palpitations when he's forced to idly watch. (But, good lord, does the show do _something_ to Hibiya's gut that he does _not_ understand at all.)

Then there are also nights like yesterday, where the perched blond zones out to the music blasting from the club below them. His eyes unfocused, mused hair in the breeze, with the backdrop of the bright neon city lighting. A free-spirit resting on a rusty railing. Small smiles crop up on these rooftops, but Hibiya has never seen the blond smile wider than he does while flying (Leaping? Gliding?) around the city. A very small part of the brunet finds itself envious of how absolutely free and weightless he must feel in those moments, but, then again, Hibiya's not that adventurous and worries about every little thing that could and would go wrong. Roam around the city? He doesn't even enjoy walking home from school! Hibiya's driver will be fired the day they don't show up on time!

What on Earth is this man _doing_ to him to make him want to hop from rooftop to rooftop alongside of him? Is it solely Songbird's siren calls of adventure, or does he seriously have to consider what the Miraculous does to him? Hibiya would never hold a weapon so confidently or scale a building with a few hops, but Hornet was having less and less trouble with the tasks every day.

Hibiya's face flushes cherry red, mind reeling back to the memory of being in the blond hero's arms and soaring through the air so effortlessly. His nostrils fill with the phantom scent of an overly saccharine strawberry shampoo and his head suddenly feels light.

"I realize that you made that your background to stare at it," Linda cuts into Hibiya's daydreaming, "but you've been sitting there, staring at it silently for a good while now."

The brunet turns his computer screen off, making the collage of Songbird snapshots go black, and stands up stiffly. "We're going out tonight, Linda." Hibiya announces smoothly, fingers rising to tuck some stray hairs behind his right ear. The golden barrette in his black hair glints lively in the soft lighting, "Transform me."

"You must be a foreigner, because I definitely understood the young lady's _no_." The stern but joking voice says from above. The frightened woman and her attacker look up sharply to see their local superhero leaning over the railing of a fire-escape lackadaisically.

The man jerks, releasing the bruising grip he had on her wrist to step away. "H-Hey, she was leading me on! Getting me liquored up and making me pay for her drinks, but refusing to put out-"

The young woman squeals with surprise as a potted plant connects with her attacker's head, breaking upon impact and sending dirt flying everywhere. He hits the pavement like a rock, drunk (or weak) enough for the small blow to knock him unconscious.

"T-Thank you!" She whimpers with gratitude as Songbird hops down from the railing. The young woman's eyes are red and dazed, her footing wobbly. She's likely as drunk as her attacker was and, if she's lucky, she'll forget about all of the bad parts of her night tomorrow morning with her killer hangover.

"Can I take you to the Yamanote? Or do you have someone you can call to pick you up?" Songbird asks with standard concern.

"Oh, you're _so_ sweet!" She slurs, leaning against the brick wall of the apartment building to remain upright. She doesn't actually answer his questions, almost dozing off against the building.

The blond's lip quirks before he departs to the end of the alley. He doesn't have to ferry each and every drunk woman home safely and it's an honest waste of his time when there's other crimes he could be stopping, but, right now, he's in Ikebukuro and he has options.

"Hey, Miss? Do you think you might vomit?"

"[I don't mind, honestly!]" The Black Rider holds up her phone while waving her other hand dismissively.

Her heart had almost jumped from the hole past her throat when Songbird suddenly landed alongside of her with an intoxicated woman over his shoulder. After explaining the situation, Celty was more than happy to help. The hero was hardly asking a favor of her, diving the young woman home. She probably would've done the same in his place.

"Thank you," the blond smiles graciously, already turning around to return to patrol.

"[Do you mind if I ask a quick question?]" Celty hastily types, retracting her phone for her next message when he stills and nods. She had only met the hero once before in passing during an attack. The akuma was too close to her and Shinra's apartment and she had wanted to help. What could an akuma do to a dullahan anyway? However, the altruistic blond had been quick to tell her to let them handle it and to prioritize evacuating civilians if she wanted to do something more. Celty wouldn't lie and say she wasn't a bit starstruck after that. "[How did you know where to find me?]"

Tucked in a thinner street of the apartment sectioning, she had just come off of a simple delivery job. It wasn't by accident that he had came to her, he clearly trusted her.

"I can hear your horse, Miss Dullahan." Songbird answers simply, and it makes total sense to her. It'd be more unusual if a bird themed superhero didn't have better hearing than most. Wait, how did he know about her and Shooter?! _That_ never came up!

Songbird's eyes unfocus as they drift to his left, snapping back wider after a second. "Goodbye!" He chirps suddenly and sharply, running off and leaping onto the roofs, leaving a wildly gesticulating Celty behind.

"An urban legend and a superhero working together, how fascinating of a story that would be." A velvet voice says from behind her after the hero's silhouette against the bright city is long gone, cueing Celty to begin convulsing with surprise for a third time tonight.

"One of Tokyo's heroes appears quite friendly with you, Courier." Izaya's words carry accusation, and the glimmer of piqued curiosity in his serpentinely narrowed eyes is enough to convince her that she doesn't want to be apart of whatever he's sticking his fingers into.

"H-Hey Mister, where'd that cutie go?" The intoxicated woman slurs, coming back to awareness behind the dullahan on her bike.

The informant's nose wrinkles as Celty jerks her phone to his face. "[Goodbye!]"

"Good evening, Songbird," Hibiya greets politely as he approaches the blond. He's picked yet another club to rest atop, his legs slipped through the railing and dangling above the crowded street.

"Hey there," he says back pleasantly. The blond turns his head from the city below to face Hibiya with a smile and the wind very wisely decides that this moment was the perfect time to send a breeze to ruffle the hero's flaxen hair. "Got nothing else better to do either?"

" _You,_ " Linda broadcasts in the brunet's mind.

Hibiya flushes a faint pink, "I-I suppose not."

"Well," Songbird offers with a lopsided smile, " _wa~y_ worse ways to spend a night than sitting above a bunch of smashed people and listening to their drunk tastes in music."

The brunet laughs, soft and open. When the blond's not causing Hibiya's anxiety, he manages to melt away the abrasive edges of it, relaxing him in a way that Hibiya's not accustomed to feeling around other people. "Assuredly."

Songbird's nose crinkles in humor and he pats the concrete alongside of him invitingly. Hibiya flushes and approaches hesitantly. He stares at the spot too long and must send off the wrong signal with the action, the blond bursting with an airy laugh that warms Hibiya's gut and spreads out to liquify his bones.

"C'mon, it's not that dirty." He says, gesturing to the spot again. "Our suits are new every time we transform."

Hibiya opens his mouth to roll with it to save face, it would be his concern in his civilian clothes anyway, but the blond continues on. "If it bothers you that much, just sit on your cape."

The brunet jolts. "You can do that?" His hand rises to his clavicle where the cape is clasped together. He's never considered taking parts of his suit off, but his cape was much less constricting than Songbird's. The golden material falls over his shoulders but curves behind him before it passes his elbows, most of it resting on his back and hips. Hornet needs his arms free to use his rapier effectively, but the blond hero requires the wind resistance that comes with making your lanky limbs smoother with the cover.

"Yeah," Songbird laughs heartily, bowing in on himself slightly. "Psyche _hates_ it." Hibiya rests his weight on the railing with his hands as his legs desire to give out. "He used to complain _all the time_. He says it's like having his arms detached."

The brunet's nose wrinkles. He doesn't fully understand why it's so humorous, especially when his kwami explained the sensation, but Songbird is happy? Hibiya doesn't know the other's kwami. Perhaps they're melodramatic? They are gods meant to transform into protective suits of clothing, and the duo are hardly their firsts. In the back of his mind, Linda snorts with his own amusement, and Hibiya believes his assessment isn't far off. Despite finding his kwami's discomfort amusing, Songbird is still sporting the pink curtain.

"He finally stopped squawking at me for it recently," the blond waves a hand dismissively as he calms down.

"You tired him out?"

"No," he shakes his head, eyelashes fluttering around crinkling eyes. "He said, and I quote, _how would you like it if someone took away your hands to sit on them_ and, I mean – I'm _really_ bad at stopping myself, especially when people leave themselves wide open like that! So, of course I _had_ to say that my hands aren't the only body parts that I like people sitting on." Songbird leaks out a chuckle with a wince, his kwami surely giving him hell. Hibiya, on the other hand, goes rigidly still as if hit with a freeze ray. The brunet's body goes hot all over, his face blooming bright red, and his brain skips on the sentence like a broken record.

 _My hands aren't the only body parts that I like people sitting on._

 _My hands aren't the only body parts that I like people sitting on._

 _My hands aren't the only body parts that I like people sitting on._

Hibiya's hopes lurch upwards with his heart. _People_ , Songbird had used, as if to imply that that included men. And Hibiya was man! A man that had already sat on top of his lap! _Oh god._

"Are you okay?" Songbird asks with concern dipping his features. Hibiya opens his mouth to say _something_ , _anything,_ but a faint choked noise is all that escapes his throat. "Sorry, was that too much? I keep forgetting that you're probably like fourteen or something."

 _Fourteen?_

 _Fourteen?!_

"I'm sixteen!" He corrects with a hitching yell.

"Oh," is all Songbird exhales, his eyes slightly wider with the information.

Did his crush truly see him as two years younger than he was? As… As a child? Hibiya's not sure if that's worse than him just not being attracted to other men to begin with. His vision blurs as his eyes mist up. His heart is clenching tighter than a vice and Hibiya is positive he might collapse to the cold concrete to wail like the child Songbird thinks he is if he lets go of the railing.

"H-Hey," the blond coos softly at the sight, reaching out timidly. Hibiya jerks back, stumbling slightly against the railing as his feet fumble and legs tremble. Songbird retracts his hands into his cape, not wanting to upset him further. "I just want you to know that I didn't mean anything bad by that. I just presumed that you were younger than me and I guess I overestimated and hurt your feelings."

"I'm sorry," Songbird says, voice gentle and eyes sparkling with sincerity. Hibiya can't stand how his heart already beats with forgiveness while still aching with a compressing pain.

"How old _are_ you?" He chokes out. He's never actually thought to ask, what if he's been crushing on some thirty year old?! Maybe there _is_ something far worse than his crush being straight or seeing him as a child.

"Eighteen."

The wave of relief doesn't ease Hibiya's gut, instead firing him up. "And you presumed that I was four years younger than you?" He doesn't act so infantile, he doesn't even act like most average teenagers! He's leagues more mature and responsible than some of his older schoolmates! He can even name one off of the top of his head!

"Sorry?" The blond's head tilts slightly in confusion. "My family tree is kinda comprised of tall and lanky people. People always presume that I'm older than I really am, I guess I do the opposite on accident to shorter people?"

"I am _not_ short; my height is consistent with the national average!" Hibiya's growth spurts came slow, it wasn't his fault that he was still breaching five foot five, but his height wasn't an oddity in his demographic at all. The extra four inches promised by his father's genetics wasn't a concern of his until now.

"And I consistently hit the top of my six foot head on door frames and low-hanging fans," the blond jokes lightly in effort to calm the other young man down some.

Songbird's eyes spontaneously roll and stare off to the left. "Ha-ha, laugh it up." He mutters, presumably to his kwami. "At least you weren't around when I shared a bunk-bed." The blond flinches sharply, his eyes narrowing in kept anger as Hibiya assumes his kwami took him up on his offer.

Hibiya's lips press together. His heart is still throbbing with pain, but his problems are salvageable. They know each other's ages now, Hibiya can prove himself to be a viable romantic candidate. Unless Songbird refuses to date people younger than himself, which is still a possibility that stabs at the brunet's heart.

"I'm sorry," the blond apologizes again as Hibiya blinks the kept tears out of the corners of his eyes. "I didn't intend to hurt your feelings."

Hibiya breathes in shakily, his rhythm stilted. "Yes, I know."

"Would you like me to go?" Songbird asks gingerly, not waiting for a response to rise from his seat.

"No! I-" Hibiya tries to wave both hands, tipping his weight forward into the railing with an awkward slump. His spine tingles with electric jolts as the blond returns to his full height alongside of him. The other man really _is_ like a tree, how has he never fully noticed? If wishes come true, how on Earth was he going to manage kissing his crush? Songbird would have to lift him up or bend down!

 _Oh no, oh no, oh no_ , the brunet's brain repeatedly blares like a fire siren.

Hibiya's face burns red as he forces out, "I'm not upset with you." Songbird's responding smile is faint, barely there but Hibiya sees it and he wonders why his legs haven't collapsed in on themselves yet. The bones in his legs must be one hundred percent gelatin by now and, with how hot everything under his collar feels, realistically he should be a melted, spread out mass on the club rooftop.

 _Oh no, oh no, bad choice of words!_

"I'm sorry too, if I ever made you feel like… Condescended to?"

"No," Hibiya yips loudly because he can't exactly yell at the other hero to _shut up_ and _stop being so sweet to me, how are you real?_ When would've the other man even come across as condescending? "I...dislike being treated or thought of as a child, is all."

"I can understand that," he nods with far-off unfocused eyes.

Silence begins to sit with the two as neither continue their conversation, the music bleeding out from the club below becoming noticeable once more. Hibiya feels awkward, but it's obviously not mutual and he can content himself with that. He sighs to unwind himself with the next breeze, risking peeks at the other hero to watch the wind muse his marigold hair. Songbird visibly perks up when the next song fades in and Hibiya immediately recognizes the poppy melody; as his ringtone.

He was never one for the pop genre in general or with keeping his device's personalized settings up to date with the latest pop culture drivel, but, well… Hibiya can't blame his crush for openly admitting to liking a song only for Hibiya to look it up later to listen to by himself. The blond's petite smile returns when the song plays and his unfocusing eyes stare dreamily out at the city skyline.

Well thought out lyrics can be _damned_ , it's definitely Hibiya's favorite song now too.


	5. A Bird in The Night

Delic heads straight to the kitchen when they get home, eager to pop open one of the bottles of strawberry milk stocked in their fridge to curb some of the twitching in his fingers. He has half of the bottle swallowed down when he finally notices Tsukishima's peeking from over the kitchen island counters.

"I won't forget to text Dad that we're home." Delic says calmly, but, rather than walking away, his twin continues to silently stand across from him. Tsuki's thumbs play with one another, his eyes mostly downcast behind his glasses to avoid eye contact. His twin's fidgeting and hesitation cues a heavy sigh to fly from Delic's lungs.

"I don't need you to babysit me," Delic reminds him, irritation harshing his words. Tsuki flinches, shoulders hunching in on themselves for a fraction of a second. The mousy twin darts around the counters to stand closer and to tightly grip his brother's sleeve.

Delic exhales, his eyes softening and his bubbling irritation cooling down. "I know you care about me. I'm not mad at _you_."

Tsukishima smiles petitely and dives forward at the other blond's chest, jostling the half-empty bottle in his hand as the two collide. He props his chin on Delic's shoulder as he wraps his arms around his brother. "I love you, Delic-nii," he whispers.

"I love you too," Delic coos back, patting Tsuki's back with his free hand. "Chibi Moo— _ow!_ " The playful smirk that was growing on his face twists away with the sharp pinch to his side. "I'm telling Dad that you hit me."

Tsukishima pulls back to look back into his sibling's eyes, his nose and eyes crinkled with amusement.

"He'll believe me!" Delic continues to jest. He takes a heavy, exaggerated breath and his free hand splays on his chest, over his heart. Fluttering his eyelashes to appear as if he's tearing up, Delic croaks, "How could you hit your own brother?!"

Unexpectantly, Tsuki jerks forward to pinch his side again before fleeing to couch where he had left his schoolbag. Delic gasps, loudly and melodramatically, the noise breaking off into a snort as he treks to his bedroom. The blond snaps his phone open to text the usual simple sentence to his father, deciding at the last minute to include twelve emojis just to pester his parent with the a mock-paragraph.

Delic's phone beeps with _Sent!_ as he opens his door and sees the strange box sitting on his bed. A gift? What's he being given a gift for? It's certainly not from Tsuki, and this style of gift-giving isn't his Dad's. If this is a _I'm so proud of you, son_ type of situation, it's definitely missing his staple too-long hugs and hair ruffling. Dropping his schoolbag to the floor, Delic takes a seat on his bed to examine the petite box further. Entirely a pure black velvet box, it lacks signifying markers. No names, no emblem, no remnants of crusted glue to suggest a torn away sticker.

 _How strange,_ he thinks.

( _It's probably Izaya's doing,_ his first instincts think.)

Delic knows better than to open strange boxes that appear on his bed, but it's not as though he always does what's best for himself anyway. The box opens like a standard clam-shell jewelry box, revealing two silver earrings nested inside. There's nothing unique about them visually, the round bulb where a design would normally sit instead just a flat white-silver.

 _Definitely not Izaya,_ he re-assesses. It is, after all, actual jewelry. So simplistic in design that Delic can't even see it as a joke. Who gives their enemy's kid jewelry as a joke anyway? Their house wasn't any cleaner nor messier than before school, so he can't sit with the conclusion that it was something his father found last-minute.

 _Secret admirer,_ he wonders then immediately dismisses. No one is going to be coy with the school slut and, frankly, no one is stupid enough to break into _Shizuo Heiwajima's_ apartment, with the exception of the previously mentioned informant, to leave a romantic gift for his son.

Delic gives up on pondering with a shrug. There's an allure to the earrings now, one strong enough to have the blond immediately removing his current pair of studs to put the new set in. When a pink and white bird suddenly appears, floating before his face, Delic doesn't scream, blinking owlishly at the creature instead.

"Hello, new Chosen one!" The bird flaps its little white wings, though it doesn't seem to need them in motion to hover. "My name is Psyche!" The human keeps staring, so he continues on unconcerned. "I'm a kwami and-"

Delic blinks, his eyes dulling. Sure, why not? Dullahans, vampires, people with super-strength, now whatever the fuck a kwami was. At least he wasn't slipped a hallucinogen, like he had thought. " _Chosen one?_ " He drawls dispassionately.

"Yes!" Psyche chirps, pleased that his new Chosen isn't mute. Conversations would've been so dull!

"Not interested."

" _What?_ " The kwami squawks. "You don't get a choice to be the chosen one or not!" Psyche's chest feathers ruffle as he flaps his wings faster with aggravation. "If I'm here then that means the akumas are too! It's your duty to assist your purifier with them!"

" _Akumas?_ " Delic drawls again and Psyche swoops forward, repeatedly pecking the blond on the forehead with his beak. "This! Is! Serious!"

" _Fuck,_ " he curses, swatting the aggressive bird away, " _fine!_ I'm listening!"

Delic's costume makes him feel like a circus acrobat at first, with it's bright coloring and tight, flexible material, but he warms up to it with spectacular speed. If wearing a corny costume means leaping and soaring through the sky like this, he'll choose the suit every day.

Delic's padded soles only touch the rooftops briefly, his feet instantly bolting to the next ledge to leap off of. The world below his body spins without him on it as the wind whips his hair around wildly, flaxen strands smacking against his face. A nigh indescribable high courses through his veins like electricity and pumps liquid fire throughout his heart. In passing he wonders if he's literally become a bird, unconcerned with the human world underneath his wings and keeping to the sunny sky, following wherever it may go. His mind's as blank as a slate and his body is now moving entirely on instincts and impulse.

Delic hasn't felt so _fucking exhilarated_ while sober before.

He's long lost track of how long he's been out and soaring above the city, but his body is beginning to ache. The next rooftop his feet meet, he collapses on. His body splays out, chest heaving with a quick rhythm. A toothy smile is spread across his face as he breaks out into a fit of airy laughter.

" _Wow,_ " Delic exhales after gathering himself.

As the suit, Psyche lacks the ability to puff up his chest, but the instinct to remains. The Guardian must've went above and beyond to find this one! Life's going to be a breeze! The kwami titters with his own laugh, the noise tinkling through the blond's brain.

"What?" He asks, aloud.

"You've taken to this like a bird to flight."

Delic's groan isn't caused by his achy body. He opens his mouth to protest the creature's sense of humor when a shrill scream echoes up from the stories below them. He moves before he processes what he's really doing, rolling over onto all fours and rising into a run towards the nearest ledge. Delic's hands grip the safety railing, his body leaning forward over it and his head jerking sharply in search of the source of screams.

"Akuma," Psyche announces, sensing the creature amidst the busy city. "We need to find your Purifier!"

"And how am I supposed to do that?"

"Follow the action!"

Delic's bright smile is back instantly and his body eagerly climbs on top of the railing to leap off of it.

Delic's partner is a small skittish kid that he finds frozen in front of the roaring akuma. He's not upset, however. The creature must be a shock. He realizes that his own life has been and still is leagues more unusual than most, dealing with the reality of supernatural monsters existing and having to fight them isn't much of a stretch for him and he rolls with it like another wave to the ocean.

Psyche had informed him of the assigned role that came with being Songbird. Keep the purifier safe by all means, even at the expense of his own life. It was his duty to keep the akuma busy until Hornet could purify it by whatever means necessary. He was technically disposable, as Hornet's magic would always fix things back to normal. Frankly though, if he's only the chosen one because of his freakish body, Delic can't complain. He'll risk his neck time and time again to feel that high of flying over and over again.

Delic's mind hasn't been so calm in years and throwing around a monster that turned out to be pathetic was a more than acceptable price to pay. The suit enhanced its wearer's natural strengths to supernatural levels, but Delic was _already_ supernaturally strong to being with. He had beaten the family toss record by complete accident and couldn't even _brag_ about it! (Admittedly, maybe he wouldn't _brag_. His father's disapproving look would be too much.)

Hornet surprises him. Despite being thin and petite in stature, the kid throws his sword like a javelin and lands his mark. He's got potential and Delic finds his shy, timid nature endearing. The brunet in the gold and black horizontally stripped suit reminds him of Tsukishima and wanting to protect him comes naturally. Delic departs from his partner shortly after the akuma has been dealt with, wanting nothing more than to take back to the skies.

The blond spends hours wandering around Tokyo with no destination in mind and he doesn't realize how badly he's messed up until Psyche trills that he's tired. The sky has gone pitch black, the city lights blocking out the stars. The nearest clock is on a television broadcasting the news on the side of a building, the stark numbers flashing that it's now nearing midnight.

He's _fucked_.

Completely and utterly _fucked_.

Delic races back home as quickly as his tired body will take him. His mind flurries with excuses, trying to formulate the best one and knowing full-well that none of them will be bought. He de-transforms in a nearby alley before running to their door, grimacing heavily when he tests the knob and finds it unlocked. Delic presses his forehead to the door, squeezing his eyes shut tightly and sighing all the air out of lungs before letting himself inside.

The apartment's dead quiet with the exception of a utensil faintly clinking against a dish. Delic's not ready to face his father when he rears the corner, but he swallows down the anxiety as best as he possibly can. "I just lost track of time is all, I _swear,_ " he admits earnestly before the other blond can say anything. "I'm _so_ sorry that I missed curfew."

Shizuo's eyes drift to him, appraising Delic's disheveled appearance while eating the remainder of a slice of cake on his plate. "You're not in trouble," he says after a moment under his son's nervous gaze. "I believe you."

Delic deflates with a sigh of relief, his shoulder easing down from a hunch. "Actually," his father continues on after another bite. "Tsuki said to me that he thinks you don't need a curfew anymore."

"Y-Yeah?" His voice creaks with hesitation, not wanting to get his hopes up.

Shizuo nods, turning to face him fully. "I wanna trust you again," he states, the words simple and finalizing.

Delic's heart aches with a heavy throb, the pleasant pain drawing the attention from the aches in his overworked muscles and limbs. The corners of his lips twitch as something warm and gooey mixes with the anxiety in his stomach. Sheepishly, Delic asks, "Are you still gonna punish me for being late?"

"Already have," Shizuo answers obviously before finishing off the milk in his glass.

Delic's head tilts ever so slightly in confusion before his postures snaps. " _Dad. Dad, that was from the Milky-way Cafe!_ "

"If only you were here earlier to've stopped me," Shizuo speculates flatly.

" _Dad._ "


	6. A Wonderful Day (Part One)

Delic's clock blasts its set alarm, jolting Psyche in his nest of discarded candy wrappers. Psyche's nest crinkles nosily as he shakes his limbs awake, his startled feathers ruffling all over once more. With a yawn that squeaks like a tweet, the bird kwami hops out of his area and flies atop the blond's head.

Psyche flattens some of the messy mop with his body, shaping the hair as if it were his second nest. Taking a deep breath, the bird kwami trills several shrill chirps next to his Chosen's ear. Delic jerks sharply and his hand instinctively shoots up to swing by his head, forcing Psyche to expel all of the air from his lungs to flatten himself in time to avoid it. The blond groans into his pillows as his hand blindly reaches to shut off the still blaring alarm.

"Good morning, Delili!" Psyche greets cheerfully while puffing his body back out and fluffing his feathers.

"What's good 'bout it," Delic sleepily slurs into his pillows.

"Well," the bird chirps, hopping closer to the blond's forehead to peek over his fringe and into his eyes, "You get to say hi to Hibiya in the hallways!"

"Hibiya," Delic repeats, sighing the name. Psyche tips out of his new nest as the blond shifts in bed, re-angling his hips against the mattress. Hitting the pillow with a soft _plap,_ the kwami harrumphs with a tweet.

Psyche frustratedly flaps his wings as he rolls off of his side and promptly dives towards Delic's face. "Breakfast first!" He chirps with a sharp peck to the blond's forehead. "Jerk off to Mister Proper in the shower later!"

Delic groans loudly, the noise being poorly muffled when he presses his face into the pillows. " _Hibiya in the shower._ "

" _I'm gonna die! There's no way I'll make it-_ Oh, hey, coffee."

Tsuki leans out of the way with an eye-roll as his twin walks around him in the kitchenette, the mugs and utensils clinking softly as Delic helps himself. He drowns his serving with milk and sugar and slumps against the fridge, sipping the hot liquid down while watching Tsukishima put away the dry dishes left out from overnight.

"You're my _favorite_ brother."

"I'm your _only_ brother."

"Stiff competition," Delic retorts seriously as Tsuki fondly rolls his eyes again.

"Aunt Celty offered to take me to that bookstore in Shinjuku after school, if you'd like to join us."

Delic jerks, swallowing the hot coffee incorrectly and coughing. Luckily, Psyche's still in his bedroom rather than in one of his pockets to secretly jab at him for the mistake. He had fucked up and alluded to knowing Celty personally! There were infinitely worst people to accidentally slip his secret identity to, but that wasn't the point, as Psyche had scream-squawked at him numerous times last night. People that know can be put in serious danger, from being targets of physical and mental harm to being akumatized to revealing his secret identity to the world.

Fuck, did akuma and kwami magic even _work_ on dullahans? Should he really be concerned with this? She didn't seem to recognize him or hint at knowing it's him. Maybe she's playing along because he's not doing anything bad? She seemed pretty supportive. Celty knows the rules that come along with being a super-hero from popular media anyway, she'd watched Sailor Moon and other stuff with him as a kid.

Psyche's incessant tweeting is starting to give him paranoia and headaches. Why the hell does he have to worry about this as much as the average Joe? Because people would come after his family? Ha! There are still some idiots around that try! Even the timid pacifist, Tsukishima had thrown a severely unpleasant (his words) man before!

Delic's stomach sinks as his rush of defiance cools down. His family would still be greatly inconvenienced if they knew and Delic's aware of what a pain in the ass he's already been and still is on a daily basis. Sneaking back in doesn't leave him with the guilt it used to when he'd come back from parties, but the lying leaves a bitter tastes in his mouth sometimes. He knows that he'll spill his secrets the second his father or twin confront him about his behavior and, in the very least, his stomach can sit right knowing that he's doing something positive this time around. Maybe they'll even be proud of him? (That feels like a dumb question.)

"No thanks," Delic answers after another large swallow coffee. "Band class is doing a practice recital, so we're gonna have to wheel the big piano onto the stage today." Mischief twinkles in his eyes as Tsuki peers at him with an indulgent tilt to his lips.

"Have fun, Delic-nii."

"You too. Thanks for the coffee, again."

"There's worse people you could want to tell than your partner," Linda says levelheadedly, wings faintly buzzing behind his back. "There's a lot of danger to consider and to talk about with him. Not that Songbird seems adverse to the presence of danger to begin with..."

"You're not against my pursual?" Hibiya asks from his desk chair, moderately surprised.

"There's no point to be," the hornet kwami shrugs, sitting on the brunet's shoulder and crossing his two sets of legs. Linda knows well enough from experience that teenagers in love do outrageously stupid things and that making anything a taboo only made them wanna do it harder. Hibiya was hardly rebellious, but he was wound up a bit more tighter than most, he could use someone that loosens him up. "You're smart and reasonable. Luckily, all of my chosen have those traits in common."

"There are common traits or beliefs shared between the chosen of the same Miraculous?" Hibiya questions, already theorizing on what the kwami means by his sentence. If that's true, then he could find out something about Songbird through his kwami.

"Yes."

"What exactly set me apart from the other candidates?" The brunet inquires first.

"Who knows. I just let the Guardian know what I'm looking for and they finish the job."

"And?"

"To be Hornet precision is necessary, and the ability to be precise under pressure is the most important quality." Linda informs, refraining from highlighting the less than _miraculous_ traits like his chosen's shared temper and haughty inclinations. "Obviously, altruism and a decently physically fit body is shared amongst all Miraculous users." Or, at least, altruistic behavior is what the Guardian and the kwamis strove for. The Raven miraculous was out there somewhere, being used for personal gain by someone. Whoever it was was smart, never showing their face and thus leaving no trail behind for Songbird and Hornet to follow.

"What of Songbird? What does his kwami – Psyche? – look for?"

"Obviously idiots to run at akuma like cannon fodder."

" _Linda._ "

The hornet's wings buzz with annoyance, considering the other kwami with more thought. "Psyche is all about passionate fools that act before they think, but…" Linda's antennae twitch, "They're always reliable and rush at things with their all." He can't say that Psyche doesn't know how to pick 'em.

Hibiya sighs fondly, nodding in agreement with his kwami. His cheeks flush a faint pink as his mind happily provides the image of the blond's face for him to daydream with.

"Simple-minded, one-track mind types," Linda says arrogantly, crossing his single set of arms over his thorax.

The brunet's blush only deepens with his kwami's words, his mind heavily considering the possibility that when he was in danger, rescuing him was the only thought on Songbird's mind. Fortunately, Hibiya's already seated when his legs decide to give out and liquify. His body's _hot_ and Hibiya's hands slap his face in their haste to cover his shameful expression of delight. Being a damsel in distress should be demeaning, but every fiber of his body wants to scream _I'm yours_ at the blond hero.

"Would you like some alone time?"

Hibiya nods and keeps his face hidden until the sound of Linda's buzzing wings have disappeared.

"Morning, Orihara-kun." Hibiya startles slightly in front of his locker, his head whirling over his shoulder to watch Delic waltz past him and towards his own locker.

"Good morning, Heiwajima-senpai." He responds, tone almost dipping into confusion as his eyebrows quirk downwards.

Delic smirks and Hibiya's nose is crinkling before the blond's words have even escaped his lecherous lips. "Oh, it is _definitely_ good now that I've seen you, beautiful."


	7. A Wonderful Day (Part Two)

"Heiwajima-kun, would you mind..." The music teacher trails off, hesitantly gesturing a wave at the piano.

Delic immediately perks up in his seat, eagerly getting up to touch the instrument. "It's no problem, Sensei!" He waves back dismissively before looking at the large studio piano with how to carry it in mind. Over the shoulder should be enough, right? He has excellent balance, holding it up the entire way to the auditorium should be a piece of cake, but what if the top hits the ceiling?

The teacher's face pales was Delic begins lifting the instrument up like a vending machine. "No, no! Heiwajima-kun, it has wheels!"

"So… Put it down?" With the piano blocking his view, Delic cannot see the way Hibiya's fingers massage his temple.

The music teacher's eyes bounce between the blond and the large instrument hoisted up in his arms like an empty cardboard box. She sighs heavily, " _Please_ , be careful. It's _very_ expensive to replace."

"Of course, Sensei!"

"And, Heiwajima-kun?" The teacher calls back at Delic as he's working the piano through the door. "The principal isn't expecting a practice recital for another ten minutes."

The blond smiles sheepishly, "Yes, Sensei."

" _Delili!_ " The kwami calls authoritatively from his nest in Delic's front jacket pocket.

Delic jerks his fingers from the ivory keys like a child caught with an open cookie jar. "Oh, c'mon, Psyche! I was just gonna-"

" _Akuma!_ "

The blond's eyes widen as his fists clench, anger blooming in his gut and voice. " _What?! Again?!_ " Does whomever is akumatizing people have something against his musical education?! His narrowed eyes dart around for a space to hide and his legs bolt to the stage curtains without a second thought.

" _Transform me,_ " Delic says as he reaches the curtain. Psyche disappears instantaneously, absorbed into the miraculous as a bright bubblegum pink light encases his chosen.

Emerging from the stage curtain in his suit, the blond sprints to the closest exit in the auditorium. His head cocks in various directions as he reaches the outside, listening to each and every scream and peculiar noise to determine where the akuma is. Delic's head stills with his heart as he realizes the noises are coming from the same direction he recently left with the piano.

Hibiya ducks behind the teacher's desk with his violin case as everyone flees. The timing has student-turned-akuma written all over it, and the closeness of its appearance hasn't shaken the brunet up any, but then there's a loud crash of wooden furniture being broken and glass being shattered, and Hibiya shrieks from the sudden closeness of the cacophony. His hands jerk to protect his ears, releasing the case momentarily, and something hits the top of the desk, splintering the wood loud enough to hear over his hands. Adrenaline begins to pump through his limbs as anxiety tries to gnaw at his mind. He needs to transform _ASAP._ If he's caught now, he has no means of protecting himself!

Hibiya tries to ignore the way his fingers tremble as he fumbles with his case, accidentally dropping it. The slick case slides out from under the desk as both of the brunet's hands slap to cover his mouth. There's another nearby crash, crunching and heavy and obviously a body meeting the hard concrete of a wall. Hibiya doesn't realize he's snapped his eyes shut until he hears a panicked voice.

" _What the hell?! Why're you still here?!_ "

"S-Songbird?" Hibiya blinks as the blond stares back from inside the imprint his body's made in the wall.

"Don't worry, I'll get you to safety." Songbird soothes, pulling himself from the indent easily.

"I don't doubt you," Hibiya blurts without thinking, his cheeks dusting pink as his mind catches up to his lips.

The other hero smiles brightly and appreciatively before his attention snaps back to the akuma, eyes focused and more serious than Hibiya's ever seen them be. Songbird dodges a few incoming chairs away from Hibiya's hiding spot before turning on his heel and diving back for the brunet. Hibiya squeaks as one of his partner's hands slide under his thighs to hoist him up bridal style. His arms instinctively twine around the blond's neck as he takes off, sprinting out of the classroom and down the hallway.

With barely enough time to glance back at his violin case, Hibiya's anxiety switches off of himself and to Linda. Would his kwami survive if the akuma destroys his case? There's no way he can make it back safely now, he's stuck unable to assist in the fight. Fortunately, Songbird shouldn't need his help until the akuma is captured.

"Are you alright?" Hibiya inquires timidly.

The blond's attention diverts from where he's heading to offer another smile that has Hibiya thankful he's not running himself. "Haven't fought an akuma yet that's managed to leave a scratch on me."

"It threw you into the wall." Hibiya wants to give the other man a once-over with his eyes for any injuries, but he's not so foolish to tempt his heart (and groin) while still in his crush's arms.

Songbird cringes lightly, "Kinda wasn't expecting anyone to still be in the music room."

The brunet's gut sours as he realizes that he must have distracted his partner enough for the akuma to land a blow. This marks the second time he's been the direct cause of Songbird's injuries and, while the other man doesn't seem to give a single damn, Hibiya himself still loathes how useless he appears to be in the grand scheme of things. They're meant to be partners, Songbird shouldn't be doing all of the work for them! No wonder his partner mistook him for being younger. Oh, how utterly pathetic he feels.

"Someone so stunning shouldn't wear such an upset expression," Songbird says when he stops in front of the stairwell. "I'm not hurt in the least, so don't feel bad about it."

Hibiya flushes cherry red as he's released, and how he manages to stand upright is a mystery of its own. Songbird's phantom fingers are still pressing against the underside of his thighs and his back. His body is _boiling_ under his uniform and all it wants to do is return to the other man's chest and warm embrace. Hibiya's not thinking when he leans forward and pecks the blond's cheek with a kiss.

"Thank you," he manages evenly despite the way his mind is now _screaming_ at him. "F-For everything."

Songbird's frozen still, his eyes as wide as an owl's under his mask. His lips twitch, mouth looking like he's trying to say the first syllables of drastically different words and failing miserably.

Hibiya feels like a broken porcelain vase that's been poorly glued back together by children. He can't tell what has his partner most shocked; _his_ kiss of gratitude or _being_ kissed by a civilian he's rescued at all. He takes a hesitant step towards the stairs, fronting that he's going to flee the scene with the rest of the school. "I'll be cheering for you," Hibiya says to slice through the awkward silence.

"Cheering?" Songbird asks for clarification, his eyes glazing over as they fixate on Hibiya.

"The akuma?"

"Akuma…?" He questions with a tilt of his head, then jolting in place. "Akuma!" Songbird's head spins back down the hallway where crashing and the breaking of furniture can still be heard. " _Shit,_ I hope Hornet's not there alone."

"Stay safe," the blond calls over his shoulder as he runs back towards the fight.

Hibiya watches his form disappear, snapping out of his own daze when he realizes that he's alone. " _Linda!_ " He worries aloud, concern ripping into a startled shriek as something suddenly jabs his leg with a sharp poke.

"There's the bathrooms, let's go!" The kwami points out authoritatively, flying from the brunet's pocket.

" _W-What?!_ "

"Not _that!_ To transform! Or do you want your lovebird to fight this one alone?"

Hibiya's face flushes a shade darker with the nickname. "But, you were- How did you-"

"Phasing, now _please_ try to prioritize!"

" _He kissed me!_ " Delic yells as he bursts back into the now empty music room. His feet had blindly brought him back as his mind worked overtime to desperately absorb every gleam-able detail about the brunet's lips from the quick, petite press. They _were_ super soft and smooth! _God_ , he wants to know how they'd feel on his own pair (and elsewhere). Hibiya was just _so cute,_ kissing him as thanks like they're from an old moving picture, _and then_ acting so bashful about it! His eyelashes had actually fluttered _at_ him!

Delic's on cloud nine when the akuma hurls a desk at him from behind, the wood connecting and breaking apart nosily as he stands completely unperturbed in his daydream.

"Songbird!" He hears Hornet call to him with concern. "A-Are you alright?"

Delic exhales dreamily, "I've never been more _alive_." His cheeks have gone pink, standing out against the stark white of his mask.

Hornet flushes, the color on his cheeks missed by his mentally occupied partner. "The, the akuma?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah." The blond turns towards the akumatized kid charging at him with loud demands about this and that and who the hell even cares. Delic definitely doesn't care. He can forgive missing out on music class now that the akuma attack has unintentionally given him the greatest gift available. But, for fuck's sake, he _doesn't give two shits_ about whatever nonsense has this kid in such a fit to be akumatized in the first place.

Delic lazily swings his arm as the akuma approaches his personal space, smacking the akumatized student in the chest and sending them flying back into a wall. Hornet gasps in surprise as the akuma passes out from the nonchalant blow, though not hesitating to trek up to them for their cursed item. He's clearly been paying more attention than Delic, knowing exactly what to grab off of the unconscious teenager to break.

As Hornet frees and purifies the crow with his rapier, Delic takes a seat at one of the empty seats that survived the akuma's outburst. His chin fits in his palm as he sighs exaggeratedly, shamelessly looking every bit like the lovesick teenager he is.

Completely lost in his own world, Delic misses the way Hornet watches him as the golden light from his miraculous races around them, fixing all of the damage with ease.


	8. A Wonderful Day (Part Three)

Delic remains in his delighted day-dreamy daze for the remainder of the school day. Classes go by not unlike a glittery blur. Tsukishima momentarily frets over his twin at lunch, worried over his unfocused eyes and vacant stare, but immediately huffs out a sigh when the other blond dreamily murmurs a name once prodded. Tsuki steals his dessert just for making him worry, then realizes how _bad_ it truly is when he gets away with it.

In fact, Delic's daze lasts the whole walk home from school. Alone in the apartment, Psyche flutters out of hiding and perches on the blond's shoulder.

"Delili, are you okay?" The kwami asks as Delic's bedroom door clicks closed behind him.

The blond leans back against his door with a quiet airy laugh, "He _likes_ me."

"He sure does," Psyche chirps. "I told you; all you needed to do was swoop in and save him!"

Delic blinks, awareness slowly creeping back into his eyes. " _He_ likes me," he says again, tone dipped in confusion and wonder.

Psyche stays silent, familiar with the gears turning in his chosen's head right now. He hops closer to Delic's neck as his features begin to fall, rubbing his feathers against his chosen's skin in an act to provide comfort.

Delic sighs, closing his eyes to slump against the door further. "He likes suited me, not _me_ me."

"That's still _you_ , Delili!" Psyche objects.

"Not really," he informs dismissively. His eyebrows pinch downwards as he considers why Hibiya would even be infatuated with his alter ego to begin with. The media doesn't have much to spread. Of course there's plenty of video of him fighting the akuma, but Delic tries his damnedest to avoid interviews. However, there's still a few bits and pieces of him talking to civilians on camera. It's not like he talks about personal things to anyone while suited. He already tries to watch what he says around Hornet. Hibiya can't like how he presents himself as Songbird, he's more tight-lipped as the hero.

Delic's stuck with only one reasonable conclusion; Hibiya is physically attracted to him. It's enough information to get his blood pumping south, but it doesn't ease the throbbing in his heart. Being attractive to others isn't a new experience and Hibiya still finds his personality detestable, something that has to be tolerated. To the brunet, Delic's both his fantasy and his creep. Delic's only ever been stabbed once, but it definitely didn't sting as much as this information does. His heart feels betrayed, the soaring elation it had been feeling now entirely drained.

"I'm not weak enough," the blond whispers as his eyes widen with despair. Psyche hops off of his shoulder with a flutter, hovering in front of Delic's face to watch him better. The faint glaze on his chosen's sad eyes is enough to lurch his petite heart against his ribs.

"Weak, Delili?"

Delic shakes his head rapidly, ruffling his hair with the quick movement. "I can't take advantage of him not knowing that it's me. What if he ever finds out?" He slaps a hand on his chest, over his heart, as his voice hitches. "I can't handle heartbreak again!"

"Oh, Delili." Psyche coos mournfully.

"I _want_ to, but I… I can't do it, Psyche. I think I'm too strong to give in to the temptation." Delic's lip twitches, almost as if he doesn't believe himself. The absolute worst thing would be tasting the paradise that Hibiya is only for him to look at him with utter disgust and betrayal once he finds out the truth. At least avoiding Hibiya as Songbird should be extremely easy with how vast Tokyo is. The brunet was never one to run towards danger, their meeting had been a complete accident that shouldn't repeat itself.

"I understand, Delili." The bird kwami swoops under his chosen's chin to rub his way back to his perch against the blond's neck. "You're being very mature about this."

"Don't expect it to last," he mumbles back, leaning up and off of the door to head to the kitchen. At least there's a tub of strawberry ice cream with his name on it (literally) for moments like these.

Linda reassures Hibiya that he was not dreaming and his eyes were not deceiving him numerous times throughout the remainder of the school day; his spontaneous kiss had truly affected Songbird so. The blond's face had really carried a faint blush on his sun-kissed skin and he had really smiled like _that_ , bright but dazedly wobbly, over something _Hibiya_ had done.

Hibiya's positive now that being a man won't be an issue to Songbird and his gut can't possibly feel anymore full of warmth. Something inside of him is overflowing and he can't stand straight with how his knees occasionally tremble with the immense giddiness pumping through his veins.

"So," Linda starts, buzzing out of Hibiya's uniform jacket pocket once he clicks the bedroom door closed. "What do you plan to do?"

Hibiya blinks with mild confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Well..." The hornet kwami hovers idly by the brunet's face, thin wings buzzing as he crosses his arms. "Are you going to go after him as yourself or as Hornet, for starters?"

"I..." Hibiya trails off in thought. He does want to improve his skills and prove himself as a decent Hornet and partner, he had been a shameful mess during the attack today. If Songbird hadn't have been there, he very well might be in the stomach of an akuma right now. However, his partner didn't seem remotely interested in him while suited. Calling one another friends would be a stretch, even with the trust both share for the other.

Then there's Songbird's behavior with his civilian self. Hibiya faithfully follows the blogs that circulate videos of the bird superhero, he's watched every video of the blond with civilians and Songbird just _doesn't_ treat others the way he had Hibiya. No rescued civilian had reported such flattering compliments, but Hibiya's not entirely sure if he can use that as a point in his favor.

"I don't know," he admits softly to the kwami.

Linda hums, examining Hibiya's face. His chosen's not upset by the development, that's for certain, but these love situations were always tricky, with their secret identities and whatnot. The insectoid kwami sighs heavily. This is _so_ not his territory, maybe Psyche was good for something else besides providing fools for the cannons after-all.

"Would it matter if Songbird confessed an attraction to one side of yourself over the other?"

Hibiya shakes his head lightly. "I don't see the transformation like that. Though, I do suppose that the suit is empowering with the freedom it provides." His eyes widen minutely as the information settles in his mind. "Do you think that that might be Songbird's case?"

"I don't know," Linda replies with a shrug, "but you don't even know _who_ Songbird is."

The brunet bites his lip gently, eyes down-casting to watch his fingers fiddle with one another. Aside from his appearance, his outstanding altruism and valiance, and a few tidbits gathered from rooftops, Hibiya really didn't know much else about the blond.

"I want to." Hibiya says resolutely, fingers knitting together as he decides on his next actions. "I'm not going to throw myself into situations for him to rescue me, that'd be ridiculous and dangerous, but I'm going to talk to him as whomever I see him as next."

Hibiya lacks companions, but he's no invalid. He knows how to make friends, and he's read enough books and seen enough movies and watched enough people to understand how to go about courting another human being. If there is absolutely anything that Hibiya doesn't lack whatsoever, it's determination.

Hibiya's eyes are sharp when he nods to himself and turns to his schoolbag to begin his homework. Linda strokes his chin as he appraises his chosen proudly, his wings buzzing quickly with excitement and lifting him higher in the air. The kid really is something to behold when he's not too busy being a teenage mess. If only he had more courage when it came to his weapon and fighting.

"Please tell me that this is over something stupid or trivial." Shizuo asks demandingly, standing between the television and the blond wrapped in a blanket on the couch with a half empty tub of ice cream. Tsuki nods from his spot on the couch as Delic heaves a sigh around his spoon.

"He doesn't like _me_ me," he mumbles through another spoonful of the strawberry dessert.

Shizuo's head tilts and his face pinches with confusion before quickly morphing with suspicion and faint anger. "He? How old is _he_?"

"He's a fellow student, Papa." Tsuki answers with a dismissive wave, visibly relaxing his parent.

Shizuo sighs as he gives Delic another once-over. His lip quirks oddly and moves out of the way of whatever ridiculous drama was playing to take the open seat on the other side of Delic on the couch. He can't really help with these matters aside from _being there_ so, sitting next to his son turned blanketed mass will have to do.

After a brief pause and glance into the container of ice cream, Shizuo nods towards the tub. "Got another spoon?"

Delic hisses, retracting the tub into his blanket and tugging it over his head to cocoon himself further. With the ice cream obscured from view with himself, Psyche happily helps himself, perching on the rim and leaning in. Delic gapes inside the faint darkness, swatting the greedy bird away from his treat.

Psyche huffs with offense, feathers ruffled all over from the static in the blanket, and re-nests himself against the blond. The _nerve_ of his chosen! After finishing the packet of gummy candies to replenish his energy after the day's akuma, his chosen had completely neglected his needs! No dessert at lunch, no quick-stop at a convenience store for more candy, no nothing! If he hadn't squirreled away some of those milk drop candies that Delic likes, he'd be a fussy mess right now himself!

Psyche opens his beak to almost squawk with alarm when something metal nudges his pudgy rear. Turning his head, he sees the offered spoon with a scoopful of strawberry ice cream and doesn't hesitant even a millisecond in hopping towards it like a drooling zombie.

"Thanks everyone," Delic murmurs from inside the blanket as he watches Psyche dive beak-first at the frozen treat.


	9. Holding Out

Hibiya anticipates the next akuma attack with excitement beating in his heart. It's practically a guaranteed inevitability, so he shouldn't allow himself to be so worked up so soon. If his mind is too preoccupied with awaiting his next encounter with Songbird, then there's no way he'll be able to focus in class. The blond has already taken over his dreams, Hibiya can't allow his grades to suffer any further!

Hibiya's so keyed up that the first flash of blond hair in his peripheral vision has his head spinning away from his locker. His hopes jump up unreasonably, plummeting back down when he realizes that it's just the Heiwajima twins arriving.

Their lockers alongside of each other's, Delic slumps against his without bothering to open it for his books as Tsuki wrinkles his nose and whispers something seemingly encouraging. Delic perks up somewhat, sticking out his tongue at his twin while entering his combination. Seen only by Hibiya, Tsuki reaches out and pinches Delic's ear, earning a startled squawk loud enough to clearly hear despite their distance. Tsukishima smiles innocently as he opens his locker for his things, his twin wearing an overly dramatic expression of betrayal.

Hibiya exhales out of his nose at the duo's antics, vaguely reminded of his aunts. Gathering his things for his next class, he neatly organizes his bag and walks towards the classroom.

"Good morning, Heiwajima-senpai, Heiwajima-kun."

"Good morning," Tsuki offers back politely as Delic whips around to stare at Hibiya's passing form, his eyes wide and mouth agape with shock.

Hibiya's halfway down the hall when he hears an indignant yell echo from the lockers.

"You get _kun_?!"

The final bell chimes and Delic sighs aggressively, leaning forward on his desk like a melting puddle. When he could really use the de-stressor of an akuma attack, they're entirely absent! _And_ on a day when there's no band practice! The day is far from over though, and akumatization wasn't limited to school kids.

" _Pssst,_ " Psyche manages somehow without lips. "Delili, let's go check out that new cafe special!"

Delic rolls his eyes as he sits up. Psyche wiggles about in his jacket pocket, excited by his own suggestion. The blond supposes there's no harm in indulging both of their sweet-tooths, especially on their free-time. "Alright," he murmurs as he gets up from his seat.

Psyche shifts again, head poking out with a happy chirp. Delic panics lightly, pushing the kwami back down and out of sight with his finger as his eyes frantically scan the empty room.

"Behave or else you'll only get my leftovers," the blond whispers while retrieving his music player and headset from his schoolbag.

"But you _never_ leave any leftovers!"

"Guess you'll have to behave then," Delic says with an innocent smile, setting his headset to hang around his neck.

Psyche huffs in his hiding spot, staying silent as he feels Delic begin to walk.

Heading towards the library first, Delic decides to extend the invitation to his sibling. He spots his brother through the door windows when he arrives at the entrance, talking to the only other habitual patron by the shelves. With a wide smirk blooming across his face, Delic waves to grab Tsuki's attention.

Tsuki's eyes snap away from the brunet in front of him when the motion catches his attention. He flushes a soft pink, silently praying that his brother will find some self-restraint. No god comes to answer his prayers however, his sibling immediately making an obnoxious and obscene gesture with three fingers at the window.

As Tsukishima flushes redder and fixes his glasses with his fidgeting fingers, his conversation partner turns around to see what's affected him so for themselves.

Delic's smirk splits into a devious smile, waving back at Hachimenroppi as the brunet's pensive expression taints with disgust and he offers back his middle finger. Delic openly laughs, the sound reverberating down the empty halls. Blowing the two a kiss, he wiggles his fingers goodbye before departing.

With two slices of cake in two to-go containers in a bag and his wallet a little lighter, Delic seriously considers demanding donations for his heroism. It'd devalue his actions, but at least he could buy more fuel for himself and Psyche.

The blond's eyes scan the nearby park for a nice spot to sit and eat, his gaze pausing on a tree for a moment too long. He'd make too much of a scene if he climbed it, so sitting at the trunk will do just fine. Plopping down in the grass, he licks his lips as he opens one of the containers.

Delic doesn't wait to help himself, ripping the plastic off his utensil to dig in. Psyche squawks in the blond's pocket, rolling around to repeatedly kick at his chosen's chest with his tiny feet. Annoyed, Delic mumbles something around his fork with his mouth full as Psyche continues to kick.

The blond groans, unable to enjoy the texture and taste of his treat until his kwami's been pampered. Reaching into the bag to open the lid of the other container first, he grabs Psyche from his pocket to deposit in front of the dessert. There's a delight coo from the take-out bag as Delic relaxes against the tree, fork and box in hand.

"Are you spoiling your dinner?" Someone suddenly says as crisp grass crunches under their shoes.

Delic chokes around his second serving, frustration bleeding into his posture as he sharply turns to glare at his encroacher.

"Relax," Shizuo says airily. "I was teasing."

"It's all mine," Delic warns, holding the container protectively against his chest.

His father rolls his eyes, lighting the cigarette between his lips. "How was school?"

"Boring," Delic answers curtly.

Shizuo nods absently, looking around the afternoon crowd as he smokes. "Where's your brother?"

"I last saw him making goo-goo eyes at our local curmudgeon."

Shizuo's eyes narrow with confusion as his nose wrinkles. "Hah?"

Delic sniffs, pretending to wipe away a tear. "They grow up so fast."

"Not fast enough," his father jokes flatly.

"Hey," Delic protests weakly, stuffing another fork-full into his mouth.

"Don't make that your dinner," Shizuo says as he notices Tom finishing his own cigarette alongside of Vorona. Quickly scrubbing a hand through Delic's hair and earning a fond irritated noise, Shizuo waves before beginning to head back. "See you later tonight."

Delic waves back, waiting until the trio have disappeared into the crowds to check on his kwami. Psyche's a fat, sleeping ball amongst a few missed crumbs peppering the container, trilling with soft snores of utter delight.

"God, you glutton." Delic chastises. "Couldn't you even save some for later?"

"Not that I'm displeased by my school-day not facing interruptions," Hibiya begins while watering one of the plants sitting in front of his windows, "but there's still been no activity. After almost a week of nonstop attacks, it's suspicious."

"The Raven holder is a miraculous user with a life just like yourself." Linda buzzes around Hibiya's shoulders as the brunet tends to his plants. "Don't think too much in to it, I'm sure that they probably had other business."

Hibiya hums, thinking over Linda's words while moving on to the next potted plant.

"Just enjoy the day as is. Songbird will probably show up tonight, akuma or no akuma." Linda's wings buzz as he sits on the edge of one of the pots. "You'll get a chance to see your lovebird no matter what."

Hibiya rests a hand against his cheek, feeling warmer with the nickname. "He called me _stunning_ ," the brunet repeats as if he hasn't been consistently daydreaming aloud about the event since it's occurrence.

Linda rolls his eyes, his attention darting to the sudden noise of water pouring onto the floor. "Watering can! Watering can!"

Hibiya yips, jerking the can upright and stepping back, though the damage has already been done to one of his plants and the toes of one of his socks.

"Well," the brunet ruefully says, "I suppose you can eat this one now, if you like."

"My pleasure!"


	10. Under the Moonlight

"How can you stand living with that repugnant man?" Hachimenroppi asks, turning back around to face Tsukishima as Delic walks off.

Tsuki's heartbeat stutters funnily. He fidgets slightly under the brunet's harsh stare, fixing his glasses again. "My Nii-san means well, even if he is ridiculous at times."

" _At times?_ " Roppi stresses.

"Maybe more often than that," Tsuki allows.

The corner of Hachimenroppi's lip spears into his cheek with a partial frown, his eyelids narrowing his long, dark lashes around his brown eyes. Tsuki can't stop himself, fidgeting with his glasses again as his cheeks feel warmer at the sight. Despite his sour temperament, Hachimenroppi was a very attractive young man.

Tsuki's mouth opens and closes frequently, like a fish gasping on a fisherman's deck, before he finally manages to stutter out his invitation. "W-Would you like to check out the astronomer's bookstore in Nakano w-with me?"

Roppi's eyes widen back to normalcy, though remaining down-turned and looking up at Tsuki through his lashes. His lips pinch before being absentmindedly licked. "Sure," the brunet says quietly. "Let me grab my bag."

"Okay," Tsukishima nods happily as Roppi departs for his things. The blond hugs his schoolbag, feeling as if he'll float away without its weight keeping him on solid ground.

With no akuma in sight, Delic decides to spend his night suited in the red light district yet again. He stops a few creeps and two muggers before he finds a club playing music to his liking to perch atop of. He's laying down on the cold cement, arms under his head, when he hears someone drop down onto the roof.

"A quiet night, no?" Hornet asks. His face flashes with a frown, seemingly aware of how awkward his greeting was.

Delic's nose wrinkles, humored with the attempt, but offers back an easy-going smile as he sits up, leaning back on his palms and crossing his legs. "You consider _this_ quiet?" He teases, gesturing a wave at the building below them, blasting music through the thick cement.

" _No,_ " the brunet replies too quickly, "I-"

Delic's smile turns sympathetic as his partner takes his joke seriously. " _Relax,_ " he soothes. "What's up?"

Hornet's lips part before closing seemingly with thought. He clears his throat and his already straight posture tries to become even more rigid. "I… was hoping that we could talk."

"Okay, shoot." Delic fires back. He hasn't faltered in battle or said anything that might have upset his partner, as far as he can remember. He is older by two years though, maybe Hornet just wants some friendly advice?

"Oh! Uhm, well, I was hoping to..." Hornet pauses, glancing down at his interlocked fingers before untwining them and forcing his gaze back up to meet Delic's eyes through his mask. "To get to know you better."

" _Oh,_ " the blond replies slowly. "I… I guess that's fine, but I don't know how much I can really say, Hornet." His partner nods, understanding the position he's put them both in. "I mean; I trust you, but I don't wanna potentially put either of our families in danger."

Hornet steps closer, awkwardly shifting his feet before sitting down on the cold ground next to Delic. Delic re-situates forward to free his hands, shrugging as his palms rest on his knees. "So..." The blond grimaces down at himself, now as unsure of his words as his partner had been earlier. "Where the hell should I start?"

"I… enjoy music too." Hornet begins safely. "Do you play anything?"

Delic's posture relaxes as he smiles easily. "Piano, you?"

"Violin," the brunet petitely smiles back.

"Got a favorite composer?"

Hachimenroppi's phone buzzes in his jacket pocket when he returns home. Retrieving and flipping it open, the brightly lit screen reads, "[I made it home safely, Roppi-san!]"

The brunet scowls, his gut churning with a different emotion and his face warming lightly. "[Idiot,]" he types back, "[you don't have to be so formal.]"

"[Sorry, Hachi!]"

"Not _that_ informal, you klutz." Roppi flushes, mumbling aloud to himself as he storms off to seclude himself in his bedroom.

"L-O-V-E and what it means to me," a voice sing-songs from inside of Roppi's jacket hood.

" _Shut up, Tou._ " He hisses, tossing his phone onto his bed as if it were burning his fingers.

"But you're cute, Hachimen! So flustered by a little text! You humans are just so interesting!"

" _Be quiet_ or else no TV, understood?"

Tou flaps his black wings, lifting out of the brunet's hood to perch atop of his computer chair. The carrion caws, his red eyes staring at the back of Roppi's head as he removes his fur-lined jacket and unpacks his schoolbag. The crow kwami waits patiently for his master to turn on the news for him, despite knowing how to work the television and its remote himself.

Roppi's improved mood is apparent to the bird, his little "date" with the mousey Heiwajima boy easing his mind and body. Maybe he _should_ lighten up with his teasing, fearful that it might push Hachimenroppi away from the blond to stubbornly prove a point. Toudaimoto himself would prefer more peaceful nights in front of the television or computer. If his lips being zipped leads to watching the humans attempt reproduction in secret, that'd be all the more fascinating as well!

Dropping his homework on his computer desk, Roppi shoos the crow off of the back of his seat. The brunet glances at the glass cage alongside of his computer, watching the mice inside skitter for cover as Tou perches atop of his computer screen. With a slight twitch of his lips, he unfastens the hand hatch and reaches in, overturning one of the little tree trunk hiding spots and pinching the tail of one of the mice before it flees to a new location. Tou watches, fixated by hunger and exceedingly impressed by the brunet's lighter spirits.

"Don't make a mess," Roppi reminds before dropping the mouse to the floor. It squeaks in terror as it hits the hard wooden floor, immediately running off and under the brunet's bed. Tou flaps his wings once before lifting off and swooping to the floor, ready for a hunt as Roppi sits down to begin his homework.

Songbird's been talking about music for quite possibly literal hours and Hibiya has no intention of stopping him or checking for the time. The blond's so _passionate_ about the subject, even presenting Hibiya with new outlooks on some genres he would otherwise dismiss. Hibiya's also become aware of how often the other man talks with his hands, the limbs nearly consistently flapping about and gesturing along with the blond's words. His pink tinted eyes sparkle as he runs on and on about the subject, seemingly unaware that Hibiya's now only injecting his comments when the blond turns to him.

 _Kiss him._

Hibiya's pink cheeks flush further, body actually leaning towards the other man until he realizes that his conscious wouldn't sound _exactly_ like Linda. His relaxed postures jolts back straight, catching Songbird's attention.

"You okay?"

"I lost my balance." Hibiya dismisses his inquiry with a soft laugh, re-situating his legs as he leans forward on his left palm.

Songbird smiles fully, a twinge of humor to his lips. Hibiya's heart stutters as his eyes imprint the expression into his mind for future daydreaming. "Wouldn't be the first time you've fallen on me, so don't be afraid to again." The blond lightly teases and Hibiya laughs gently as his brain _screams_ at the invitation.

Songbird's eyes suddenly drift to the left, his lips pursing as he presumably listens to his kwami. "What?" He mumbles, slightly annoyed by the interruption. His eyes suddenly snap wide with a shout, "It's two AM?!"

"W-What?" Hibiya startles in place. Every second spent with the other man is entirely worth it in his book, but now he'll never have enough rest to function properly in school tomorrow!

The duo bolt up from their warm spots on the concrete rooftop. "I gotta go," Songbird says rapidly as Hibiya simultaneously announces, "I have to go."

The blond chuckles, his worried expression splitting with an easygoing smile. "This was fun," he says, Hibiya eagerly nodding with the verbalized thought. "Don't be a stranger!" Songbird calls over his shoulder as he breaks in to a run, leaping off of the roof to another with ease.

Hibiya waves goodbye, waiting until the other man is no longer in sight for his serene expression to mar with panic. " _Oh my lord, I'm going to have to sneak back in!_ "


	11. Cancer

Tsukishima's head keeps turning to look behind them, as if his neck were made of rubber. Roppi would be more annoyed, if it weren't for the blond's fingers grasping the end of his coat sleeve.

"Roppi-san," his worried voice starts, "There's a bird following us."

The brunet snorts, aware that the bird in question is just Toudaimoto. "It's probably mistaking your scarf tassels with worms," he dismisses with a logical distraction.

At his side, Tsuki relaxes; an easy smile wiping away the stress on his face and his grip lightening up on Roppi's sleeve until just two fingers pinch the material. Hachimenroppi's heart thuds against his ribcage when he looks at the other man's petite smile, so his eyes dart away hastily.

"You're probably right, Roppi-san."

"Of course I am," he snaps accidentally. Clicking his tongue, Roppi whispers under his breath, "Sorry."

Tsuki's eyes widen slightly, pointer finger rising to fix his glasses. "Roppi-san..." He trails off, switching topics. "T-There's a cafe by the bookstore. W-Would you-"

"Yes," Roppi interrupts. The brunet jerks his arm away suddenly, spooking Tsuki as he almost tears his friend's coat with his grip. Tsuki's expression begins to falter with an open sadness, forcing Roppi to act quicker and snatch his empty hand with his own. The blond's face burns red, though Roppi tries to look at everyone else but the young man holding his hand.

"Roppi-san-"

"Don't be so formal," the brunet snaps again.

Tsukishima exhales an H sound twice before finally verbalizing, "Hachi?" Hachimenroppi falters immediately, almost tripping over a minor crack in the sidewalk as all of the blood in his body rushes to his face at once.

" _I want coffee,_ " he screeches, tugging Tsuki along as he regains his footing and walks faster. Feet behind the duo, a crow perched atop a lamp post snickers.

Tsukishima fidgets while searching his schoolbag for his train pass. He doesn't want to part from the young man quite yet, but they both have homework to do and can always see one another at school tomorrow. Roppi's train is going in the opposite direction, though he's been kind enough to wait until Tsuki has his things in order before departing for his station.

"I-I found it," the blond announces, holding out the card for show. Hachimenroppi's gaze lifts from the ground, eyes pointedly looking at the pass.

"Tsuki," the other man says, demanding his attention.

Tsukishima barely has a second to respond, the brunet's hands shooting out and grabbing both ends of his scarf. Wholly surprised, Tsuki allows himself to be forcefully tugged down by the other man who immediately captures his lips with his own. Startled, he inhales sharply through his nose, but leans downward. At some point, his eyelids flutter closed to match the brunet's.

Hachimenroppi's fingers tighten around the cotton material of Tsuki's scarf, leaning up on his toes to better kiss the taller young man. Tsuki's hand bumps his elbow as they lift, his fingers smoothing up Roppi's clothed arm to find his hands. Roppi reluctantly releases his grasp for Tsuki's fingers, eagerly entwining them with the other man's as they continue to kiss uninterrupted.

The strong taste of bitter black coffee is still on Hachimenroppi's lips, while the vanilla shortcake Tsukishima had ordered for himself is fainter. The blond's lips are smooth, obviously caring enough to occasionally apply lip balm, while Roppi's carry a few indents and tears from his teeth. Neither preoccupy themselves with these details, nor the other people gathering at the station for their trains, their attention instead fixated on the inviting and comforting warmth the other provides.

The station announcer announces the next train arrivals and the soon-to-be departures for the passengers, cueing the duo to finally part. Both of their faces are painted a soft cherry red. Tsuki struggles to see, as he quickly realizes that their nasal breathing fogged up his glasses.

"My train is that way." Roppi says, untangling his fingers from the blond's and absentmindedly pointing. "See you at school."

"O-Okay," Tsuki replies, sluggish mind as foggy as his glasses.

Hachimenroppi departs quickly, shrugging on his hood to better disappear into the crowd. A minute ticks by before Tsuki's mind catches up to him and his long legs bolt in the direction that the brunet had went.

"Wait, Roppi-san, I don't know where my train is!"

"Tsuki! Dear sweet brother! Please tell me that pot is for me!"

Tsukishima rolls his eyes in the kitchenette as Delic drags himself out of his bedroom. With disheveled hair and pajamas and a pair of bags under his eyes, Tsuki knows that his sibling's current state is of his own doing. "Sure, Nii-san, you can have some."

"Some," Delic highlights aloud. His tired eyes not hiding their mischievous glimmer as his eyebrows begin to wiggle. "Hot date keep you up last night?"

"We went to a cafe and bookstore," Tsuki hesitantly offers," that's all."

"Sounds like a date to me." The other blond says as he scoots by his twin in the kitchenette, finally noticing the to-go cup by the brewing pot. " _Oh ho,_ " Delic trills, eyes locking onto the cup.

Tsukishima's face burns with embarrassment. "Nii-san, _please._ "

" _You're so cute,_ " he coos, obnoxiously pinching Tsuki's cheek and forcing his twin to swat his hand away. "Next you'll be baking him cookies and packing his lunch!"

"Where were you?" Tsuki demands with his reddened face, turning the attention onto his sibling. "I never heard you come in."

"With a friend," Delic admits easily, shrugging one shoulder as he goes about making his own cup.

Tsuki remains quiet, silently appraising his twin's expression and posture for honesty. Delic realizes this belatedly, halting his first sip of coffee to meet his twin's eyes. "Seriously. We talked music n' junk."

Tsukishima relaxes, a petite smile forming as his blush dies down. "I'm happy for you, Nii-san."

"Not as happy as I am for you," Delic purrs. "Do you need condoms? Lube? Trust me, you're better off with more lube than less."

Tsukishima's hands slap to cover his face, fingers tugging his scarf up and over his mouth. " _Please,_ " he mumbles under the material for divine intervention.

Delic pulls away from his cup after a noisy slurp, socked feet speedily walking away. "'Kay, lemme go grab some!"

" _No,_ " Tsuki startles after his twin, " _Nii-san!_ "

"Safe sex always, Tsuki!"

Having only heard the last yell, Shizuo debates leaving bed early to figure out what he's missing and ultimately decides that he doesn't want to hear about the sexual escapades of his children anymore than he already has had to.

"Good morning, Hachimen." Tsuki greets as he approaches the school's open gates with his brother in tow.

"Good morning," the brunet politely greets as he turns to face the other young man, his face souring as he catches Delic's Cheshire grin from behind Tsukishima. The younger blond quickly notices, stopping his gait to elbow his sibling's arm.

"Ow!" Delic says dramatically, as if the assault on his person was stronger than that of being smacked with a rolled magazine. "Geez, I'm going. I'm going!" He holds up his hands in mock surrender as he passes by the scowling brunet hurriedly. Turning around at the last moment, Delic loudly yells, "Stay safe, you two virgin flowers!"

The duo's cheeks explode with color, drowning with embarrassment as other students turn to look, some even snickering.

" _I'll kill him_ ," Roppi hisses under his breath. His narrowed eyes boring holes into the back of the blond's head as he crosses the school grounds.

"He means well," Tsuki awkwardly tries to dismiss. Roppi's sizzling face whirls on him, his anger simmering down as Tsuki presents the steaming to-go cup.

Hachimenroppi hesitates, but does accept the beverage. "You don't have to keep buying me coffee, Tsuki."

"Oh, but I made it for you." Tsuki casually says as Roppi's eyes widen. "Besides, I like doing nice things for you, Hachimen." Tsuki smiles innocently as Roppi's face warms further.

"Stop talking, idiot. People are looking." The brunet hushes before taking a sip of the hot liquid to occupy his mouth.

"Okay, Hachi." Tsuki quietly replies, cueing Roppi to sputter around the rim of his cup.


	12. A Heart for Kicking Aside

Hibiya only manages to get around three hours of sleep before he has to wake up and prepare for school. He's an atrocious, dysfunctional mess and almost forgets a number of things; from his schoolbag to brushing his hair. Linda helps as much as a small kwami can, carrying papers and pencils back into Hibiya's schoolbag and yelling reminders at the exhausted brunet.

Somehow, Hibiya makes it to school on time, though he wastes time struggling with his locker combination when he finally arrives at the correct locker with Linda's assistance. His kwamis is ready to poke out of his pocket to whisper the correct numbers, when Linda hears footsteps approach the brunet from behind.

"Want some help?"

Hibiya's tired eyes narrow at the metal in front of him. The voice is familiar, but there's no akuma and he's not on top of a club blasting music. Turning his head slowly, Hibiya openly frowns at Delic.

" _Oh my god,_ " the blond astonishes quietly, eyes honing in on the dark rings around Hibiya's eyes. "Do you wanna borrow my concealer?"

"You wear make-up?" Hibiya's sluggish mind tries to process as it cries for a warm bed.

Delic gestures a swirling hand at his face, as if presenting it. "Loathe as I am to admit, I don't naturally look this gorgeous. Sorry for shattering the illusion."

The brunet's head cocks, his eyes squinting. "What illusion?"

Delic's face twists with confusion then sympathy. "You don't miss sleep much, huh?"

Hibiya shakes his head. He has no idea how Songbird does so many late nights while attending school, maybe he should ask if they're going to make late night talks a habitual thing.

"Can I open your locker for you," Delic politely asks.

Hibiya's nose wrinkles. "I want it open, not broken."

A frown twitches against the corner of Delic's lips. "Seven, five, twenty-three, twenty, and twelve," the blond robotically recites.

Inside of Hibiya's pocket, Linda jerks with shock. The brunet's eyes gain some awareness as they widen at the other man and he unconsciously presses his back closer to the metal.

Delic has the common sense to look sheepish. "I, uhm, I saw you do it one day and me and numbers have this thing..." He awkwardly tries to explain.

"Have you broken into my locker?" Hibiya accuses, his focus fixated on the blond.

" _No,_ " Delic replies without hesitation.

The brunet's eyes narrow for another beat before finally relaxing. As much of a creep the blond could be, he never exhibited any warning signs to Hibiya. There was never anything of importance in his locker aside from schoolwork and books anyway. Linda always stayed on his person, so even if Delic rooted through his belongings, he'd find nothing of interest. Entering the combination and swinging his locker door open, Hibiya sighs with mild relief.

"Thank you, Heiwajima-senpai," he tosses over his shoulder. "Perhaps your grades would improve if you focused your talent on the blackboards instead of my person."

"That's an impossible task, y'know. Even sleep deprived and grumpy, you're still adorable."

Hibiya's head whips around to glare at the blond and Delic's hands instantly jolt up in surrender.

"Evict yourself from my presence immediately."

"Got it."

Delic turns and leaves without any objections, easing some of the sudden tension in Hibiya's shoulders. Watching the blond retreat towards his own locker, Hibiya notices the droop in Delic's usually straight posture.

Hachimenroppi's obnoxious classmates have been huddled around the lizard terrarium since he arrived in the biology classroom with his lunch. At first they were cooing with excitement and wonder, but now a number of them are snickering and jostling the cage. His annoyance peaks easily and, within seconds, he's abandoning his meal and jolting up from his seat with a loud noise from the chair's legs scrapping across the floor. Storming out the door, he heads straight to the men's bathroom and locks it behind himself before quickly scoping out the stalls.

Roppi snaps open his schoolbag, spotting the large bird nestled between his books. Tou titters awake when the brunet harshly pokes his body.

"Hm? Is it lunch? I wanted some of that coffee, you know."

"Shut up and transform me."

Tou huffs but flaps his wings with a heavy swing, lifting off and swooping towards the brunet and his silver ring. The single red gem glows brightly before rapidly enveloping Hachimenroppi with a black light. The ink black suit forms around his figure, the tight velour material swallowing every inch of his skin up to his neck. The cape fans itself out last, long black feathers flowing down just past his waist.

Reaching behind his neck for his feathery hood, Hachimenroppi lifts it over his head, swallowing his vision in darkness. In the pitch black darkness, one red eye blinks itself open before another and another and another. Hundreds of red irises split open from the nothingness, their white pupils acting as windows to the world. Hachimenroppi's head turns as he examines each one, trying to locate a crow closest to his location. Selecting one perched on a nearby power line, it caws silently before taking off towards the school.

Hachimenroppi flips his hood back off of his head and darts to the small bathroom window. The black spec in the distance is eagerly approaching and the brunet almost doesn't raise the glass and screen in time for the crow to glide in. It caws again once it perches on his shoulder, almost entirely blending in with the brunet's suit, and doesn't fight against Roppi's hands when he grasps its body.

"Let's teach some idiots," he says with a spiteful frown as the crow in his hands envelopes with inky bubbles and its eyes turn red.

"A giant lizard, really?" Delic laughs as he easily outruns the lumbering akuma on his tail. It barely fits within the halls of his school, each charging footstep rocking the floor and its sides brushing against the walls as it moves.

Delic's snickering dies as he arrives at a fork. Classmates are still milling about on his left and right, the akuma in question not making a loud enough fuss for them to panic.

"Get in your classrooms _now,_ " he authoritatively yells down both hallways. Student heads' whip around to look at him with the others that noticed him skidding to a halt by the wall. Various flee immediately when they spot him, suit signaling to them exactly what's coming, others jerk into action with his shout.

The giant akuma makes faint lip-smacking sounds as the ground rumbles with its impending arrival. As students disperse, Delic picks the left hallway to flee down. There's a large window in the stairwell and if he can manage to fool the creature into charging through the window, he'll have an easier time dealing with it. If it doesn't and gets itself stuck in the stairwell instead, well that also works to his advantage.

"Hibiya," Linda tries to whisper to capture his attention away from glaring at his cup of coffee from the cafeteria. However, the brunet's absorbed in his own thoughts. Paying proper attention in class has been a difficult trial and now he was forcing down the horridly bitter drink in hopes that the caffeine would wake him up.

Linda huffs and straightens his wings and limbs. Rearing back in Hibiya's pocket, he prepares to launch himself forward.

Hibiya yips, his drink sloshing in its cup and his body jolting upwards a step. He smacks a hand over his mouth in time to hold back a scream as his thigh blooms with pain.

" _Linda,_ " he hisses under his breath after he removes his hand, his fingers joining the others to tighten around the cup.

" _Hibiya,_ " the kwami mimics back, " _Akuma!_ "

Hibiya's eyes widen and his head darts around. Spotting a bathroom as his closest hiding spot, he runs towards the door, dropping his cup in a trashcan along the way. Gripping the handle, it remains still.

"It's locked?" He states questioningly. The floor above his head shakes, something absurdly large stomping above his head, before the akuma siren kicks in over the public address system. The students mingling about the halls dart this way and that, heading into classrooms for safety.

"Use the women's!"

Hibiya ignores his first response to dismiss it on the basis of not being a pervert and bolts to the door. He can hear rustling and idle chatter coming from inside the bathroom, so he turns and continues to run down the hallway, head turning to glance at all of the closed doors of the classrooms. With people filling up the bathrooms and classrooms to hide, his spots to transform are limited. There's only one spot he might be able to use, baring running all the way to the gymnasium, so Hibiya runs towards the stairwell.

As Hibiya reaches and begins climbing the stairwell, he hears the sharp _swoosh_ and metallic _thunk_ before his eyes have time to process the thin blur crossing his path. His vision follows the blur, freezing on an arrow piercing the concrete wall and following several scattered up the wall. The white shafts and pink fletchings indicating only one person to his mind.

" _Shit,_ " someone aggressively curses. Hibiya's attention turns towards the agitated yell in time to spot his partner running towards the stairwell, bow in hand and lizard akuma on his heels.

"Stay still," Songbird commands, tossing his bow to the side haphazardly and leaning forward to increase his speed. Hibiya does as told and remains as still as a statue as the blond approaches the stairwell. Songbird jumps from the floor to the railing, leaping down off of it to reach Hibiya's side quickly. Scooping the brunet up and against his chest with one arm, he commands again, "Hands, neck, now."

Hibiya's still groggy mind stalls, but his body instinctively wraps his arms around the blond's neck. Songbird doesn't waste a second waiting for him to adjust, jumping towards the wall. For the briefest moment Hibiya fears slamming against the concrete and instead squeaks as his chest collides with Songbird's. The blond's arm is secure around his waist, but Hibiya's grip tightens as his feet are left to dangle without support. His partner's feet press against the wall for a second as his knees brace for another jump, the next launch jostling Hibiya against his chest again.

The brunet peeks over the other man's shoulder at the akuma, only meters away from reaching the stairwell, as Songbird launches them again. Hibiya's head turns to his savior after the next jump, his eyes following Songbird's fixed gaze to another two arrows jutting out of the wall. The brunet pieces together his partner's plan together as the window underneath the arrows bleeds in sunlight.

Songbird narrows his eyes on the arrows before turning his attention to Hibiya. "Wrap your legs around me," he commands again, and Hibiya certainly doesn't need to be told _that_ twice. "Hold on tight."

With both hands free again, he uses both arms to launch himself from one wall to the next. Grasping onto both arrow-shafts easily, the duo dangle above the window as the akuma charges over the stairs. Hibiya braces himself against the blond's neck as the beast uses the railing and adjacent wall to launch itself at them. It misses them, body weight keeping it just out of range of snapping it's mouth around the duo, and collides into the window with a noisy shatter. Hibiya hears the heavy thud against the solid ground outside as Songbird suddenly lets go of the arrows. Hibiya yips and his body tenses with surprise as his partner lets them fall a story down, the blond landing on his feet easily.

Songbird pats his back comfortingly, giving Hibiya some support as he reluctantly untwines his limbs from the blond. "You okay," he asks softly as his palms rest on the brunet's lower back.

Hibiya nods dumbly, his pupils blowing open and face heating up as he realizes their previous position. He seemed to weigh nothing in the blond's arms and the thought of being lifted and pressed against a wall by the other man's chest is horrifically inviting. He shifts his weight from foot to foot, bringing his attention to the feeling of the blond's hands so close to his hips. Songbird notices his hands as well, recoiling them back as Hibiya stands without trouble.

"Stay safe," the blond says, stepping away and glancing towards the broken window. Eyes elsewhere, he's unprepared when Hibiya's hands shoot forward, one latching onto his arm and the other grasping his cape. Summoning all of his strength, Hibiya yanks Songbird back towards him. The blond allows it, spinning on his heels with wide, shocked eyes that hone in on the brunet's in time for their lips to meet.

Hibiya's tired eyes flutter closed with the kiss, missing how Songbird's eyes widen further.

The other man is so warm, his lips so silky, and Hibiya inches closer as his hand releases the blond's cape to smooth up his shoulder. He tilts his head a fraction, sliding their lips together with a gentle friction and gathering more of the taste of the other man's lips before pulling back.

Hibiya anticipates a variety of reactions from his partner while opening his eyes, but crying was not one of them. His heart clenches tightly as if it were being wrung out like a rag. He's speechless, lips parting, as he sees the tear streaks staining he blond's white mask. Songbird is technically looking at him, but Hibiya feels like clear glass in front of him and his hundred yard stare.

Each passing second suddenly feels like a year and it takes a scream from outside to get both heroes' attention back to the present. Songbird's head rotates to the window very slowly, turning back to Hibiya just as speedily.

"I have to go help Hornet," he says with all the volume of a mumble, his tone flatter than a popped bike tire.

Hibiya doesn't get time to respond, the blond grasping a nearby arrow and launching himself out of the broken window. Hibiya hears the blond land in the bushes outside with a heavy rustle, not even having bothered to land properly.

"Hibiya?" Linda pokes out of the brunet's pocket, frowning openly as his chosen's eyes threaten to flood with his own tears.

Hibiya shakes his head furiously as his lungs strain with kept wails. "I don't understand, Linda. Why would he look _so sad?_ " The brunet's voice hitches, a hand slapping over his mouth in time to muffle a croaked cry.

"I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding," Linda soothes. "Take a minute to calm down and let's deal with the akuma first, then we can skip class to deal with your feelings. You're too tired for class anyway."

 _Delili?_

"No bow," he whispers, hand absently reaching behind his person for the weapon. Without it, he can't simply bind the akuma for when Hornet arrives.

 _You threw it somewhere inside, Delili._

"Right." The blond nods minutely, stiffly walking towards the akuma now sticking its head through the open double doors of the gymnasium. Some students and teachers trapped inside scream, though the akuma is too fat to manage more than uselessly lick the air inside the building.

The humungous lizard doesn't notice him until Delic's wrapped both of his arms around its tail. Placing his foot on the akuma's rear, he tugs back sharply and yanks off the creature's tail with a fluid motion. Inky black bubbles envelope the akuma's two halves and a crow shoots into the sky from the bubbling mass. Delic reaches behind his back for his bow again after the tail disappears from his grasp.

 _H-Hey, Delili?_

There's a sudden _swoosh_ followed by a pained cry from the impaled fleeing crow. Delic's head turns slowly, following the trajectory to the school roof where his partner stands on the ledge. The brunet too far away and Delic lacking the energy to interact with his partner, he stiffly turns and walks towards the gymnasium's empty locker room to de-transform before heading home.


	13. Two Birds and A Stone

Hibiya hasn't stopped feeling like glass since pulling away from Songbird's lips. He listens to Linda's advice and actually skips the remainder of the school day. Logically, he knows that he's already at the top of his grades and can handle making up a day, but the guilt of not being there, with the ability to absorb and learn the lessons or not, still creates a little anxious pit in his stomach. He'll likely make his father upset, but the man is so far from the brunet's current thoughts.

Somehow, Hibiya manages to keep himself together the whole way back home. Despite how tight his throat vices in want to bawl, the brunet keeps his solid composure. However, his fingers shake the whole way, forcing him to keep them clasped or gripping something or hidden within his pockets. When it comes time to unlock his door, Linda has to assist with keeping the key still, lest the frustration of being unable to open the door is the final straw for the floodgates behind the brunet's eyes.

Upon letting himself in, Hibiya briskly walks straight to his room. He's aware of his father's and Yagiri's eyes on him the whole time, likely curious why he, instead of Hachimenroppi, would be skipping school. Luckily, neither of them say a word, keeping to their own business as Hibiya cuts through the apartment as seemingly unperturbed as he can manage.

Hibiya presses his back against his bedroom door once he quietly shuts it. He clicks the lock into place and inhales deeply. One breath only becomes two before the young man begins to crumble. Hibiya smacks a hand over his mouth in time to muffle his first cry. His body shakes with tremors all over as he sinks against the wooden door. Linda buzzes out of the brunet's pocket, floating in front of his chosen's face as he tears up.

"It's good to let it out." The kwami says, patiently though with an awkwardly tight expression. Linda was never the best at handling his chosen's emotions, but a plethora of time gave him plenty of experience.

"I don't-" Hibiya tries to speak, but his voice croaks then hitches with another sob. He presses his hand harder against his mouth, desperately trying to keep his noises to himself as tears continue to run streaks down his face.

"You don't understand?" Linda asks to assist him with his sentence, and Hibiya nods with another choked cry.

"Okay. Let's think some of this through then. Why else would someone cry after being kissed, if not from happiness?"

Hibiya shakes his head as he tries to grasp for some reasonable explanation. No one cries from disgust, so, in the very least, Hibiya has some reassurance that his crush is not disgusted by him. Songbird wasn't frustrated either, his trap for the akuma had gone off without a hitch, even with Hibiya being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The only real explanation Hibiya can come up with is sadness and, even then, he cannot fathom what he's done to make his partner so _sad_ with a simple kiss. Surely the act wasn't traumatizing, so what else could there be?

"Crying is too strong of a reaction if he was just concerned about a civilian-hero relationship," Linda thinks aloud. Why did Psyche have to pick such a strange young man as his chosen this time around? If only the two kwamis could have a back and forth, or just their humans for that matter. "Maybe the next best thing is for you to reveal yourself."

"After that?" Hibiya's hand jerks away from his mouth as his voice strains. "What if I make it worse?"

The _What Ifs_ buzz around his agitated brain like angry wasps. _What if_ Songbird called it quits because he realizes that his partner this whole time has been checking him out? Been making advances at him? _What if_ Songbird calls it quits because his partner turns out to be _Hibiya Orihara_.

Linda zips closer to Hibiya's face, wagging a pointed finger at the brunet. " _Hey,_ that's not allowed now! No what ifs and no jumping to conclusions. No… stupid human thoughts that get you worked up on your own faults and flaws!" Linda's thorax expands as he puffs up. "This is about why _Songbird_ cried, not _you_. Got it?"

Hibiya pauses, his kwami's words rolling around in his head as he sniffles. "I feel foolish."

"About?"

The brunet's eyes drift away for a moment before returning to Linda's gaze. "Everything."

Hibiya finally sits up from his awkward slump. His eyes dart to the tissue box on his bedside table as he pulls away from the door to sit on the edge of his bed. "I just… Reacted in the moment and kissed him, and I shouldn't have."

"You've kissed him before and he was more than happy about it." _Too_ happy, Linda would like to say. Songbird made it a point _not_ to hit akuma with his fists, but he had swatted that akuma away like nothing in his delighted daze.

Hibiya nods with Linda's points. "But a peck on the cheek isn't quite the same as..." The young man flushes. Technically, that was his first kiss and it turned out to be such a nightmare. He sighs heavily as he gathers some tissues to wipe away the tear tracks on his cheeks before blotting at his eyes. "We were doing so well, getting to know one another. He seemed so comfortable around me."

"What're you getting at? You can still talk to him like nothing happened as Hornet. To Songbird, Hornet and Hibiya are two different people."

Hibiya freezes as he realizes his own error. His hand slowly drops from his face, balling the used tissues up between his fingers. "That's right." He says quietly and evenly, eyes honing in on nothing as he loses himself in thought.

Linda's antennae twitch as he recognizes Hibiya's new critical expression, and the kwami sighs in relief to himself.

"He knows me," Hibiya suddenly says resolutely. "What other reasonable explanation could there be?"

"No one just cries when a stranger kisses them in that kind of situation." With what Linda has observed about Songbird's personality, the blond was more likely to be flattered and shoo away Hibiya if he was uncomfortable or disinterested. The other hero had more than enough strength and power to dominate the situation if Hibiya had been too forceful or forward for his comfort. It left only one scenario in Linda's mind, now all he had to do was lead Hibiya in the right direction.

"I upset him when I kissed him," the young man pauses briefly, "because _I_ kissed him and he knows me." Hibiya shakes his head to dislodge extra and ridiculous thoughts from his brain. "Surely I would know if I saw my partner unmasked regularly."

"Don't be so sure about that. Kwami magic is strong stuff. Songbird could probably cosplay as his hero self and walk around for fun and you still wouldn't recognize him." Hibiya sighs, visibly deflating with Linda's words.

The hornet kwami's wings buzz with a quick fidget. "If you figure it out on your own, you might counteract the magic though. Let's narrow down the possibilities."

Hibiya's gut churns with Linda's proposition. He feels as though he'll be violating his partner's privacy if he tries to figure out his identity without consent. Though Hibiya was willing to reveal himself, he still knows that Songbird was far more hesitant about revealing his identity. Hibiya can keep the blond's secret if he figures it out, though. He's an Orihara after-all, though if the blond knew that he might think the contrary and panic.

"What do you know for certain about Songbird?"

"He's blond, and very tall." Hibiya's stress-pink cheeks begin to darken as he thinks about the other man. "He loves music, has an attractive jawline and a bright smile-"

"That makes you wanna liquify, yeah, yeah. Songbird also shows up to the akuma attacks at your school in mere minutes."

"You're suggesting that he goes to my school?" It's not a horridly absurd conclusion with the given evidence, with that Hibiya can even conclude that the raven miraculous holder is likely a student as well. More akuma attacks happened at his school than on people elsewhere. There's still enough probability for it to be mere coincidence, but it's a place to start sniffing for clues.

"You know he's eighteen," Linda reminds. "You said yourself that he probably knows you, so can you think of anyone that hits those markers?"

Linda waits patiently as Hibiya freezes still with intense thought. Five excruciating minutes pass before the brunet addresses his kwami again.

"No one," Hibiya sighs frustratedly as Linda shakes with enough force to burst.

" _Really?_ " The kwami asks, voice strained.

Hibiya nods, oblivious to Linda's suffering. "I can only name three blonds. Heiwajima-san is too old and, frankly, their personalities don't match up. Tsukishima-kun is ruled out for similar reasons as well."

"And the third of the Heiwajima bunch?"

Hibiya scoffs aloud with Linda's suggestion. His face twists with absurdity and slight humor. "Delic? You can't be serious."

"Blond, tall, in to music and, more importantly, in to _you_ you _._ "

"That man is in to anyone that _breathes_."

"Have you seen him paying attention to anyone else as of late?"

"I do not watch that lech to begin with."

Linda's begun to shake with enough force to explode and desperately needs to calm down. Taking a quick deep breath, the kwami stills enough to force Hibiya into a corner. "So, what you're saying is that you have a possible suspect but, because you don't like him, you're ruling him out before you've even gathered any evidence to the contrary."

Hibiya fidgets in place on his bed, his lips twisting as he's forced to accept the harsh reality. His nose wrinkles with disgust before he finally succumbs.

" _Fine,_ " Hibiya says, despite wanting to remain stubborn. "I suppose that I have to gather said evidence."

Linda crosses his arms as he watches Hibiya stand up from the bed and throw his used tissues in his trash bin. He's done his part in this mess; and at least this kid could be reasoned with with hard logic! Linda can only hope that Psyche's end goes as smoothly.

Psyche wastes no time zipping out of Delic's pocket once the blond lets himself into his apartment. The kwami flaps his wings to keep up with the blond as he heads straight to his room. Delic absentmindedly shuts the door too forcefully behind him, leaving his kwami to phase through the door. The blond is already lying face-down on his bed when the kwami pops through the wood. The curtains have redrawn themselves hastily, wrinkles ruffling the material and draping the room in darkness.

"Oh, Delili," Psyche coos sorrowfully to himself.

Flying over to the bed, Psyche lands next to Delic's head and nestles against his neck. The only physical comfort Psyche can provide is by rubbing his silky feathers against the blond's skin, so he fidgets every other minute.

Delic has remained quiet since leaving the akuma attack, each silent second piling more and more worry up in Psyche's mind and hurting his petite heart like several thin needles jabbing into the organ. His chosen was always so bubbly and verbose and never keen on silence, even filling it with consistent music. His personality made getting to know the young man easier and the duo kept their spirits up together. Delic did everything with his all and kept his mind on whomever he was focused on, be them family, friends, or the civilians he ran to assist. Combining this with his fragile, stitched heart on his sleeve meant his higher risks should lead to higher rewards, but they unfortunately never turned out as so.

Psyche had picked up on the blond's hidden and downplayed troubles quickly as well, Delic's tendency to diminish his struggles with self-deprecating jokes and shrugs working against him with Psyche's keen eyes and ears and countless years of experience. The young man would offer the occasional bit or piece of his history to the kwami, never wanting to outright discuss things and dismissing Psyche's inquires as the past being in the past, but the kwami was sharper than he often acted. Along with how Delic's family and friends treated him and tiptoed around the blond with certain subjects, Psyche had enough of a framework to figure out his issues.

"It'll be okay, Delili, you'll see." Psyche fidgets again, rubbing his head and pudgy body against the blond's neck like a cat begging for treats. "You just need for your mind to be on other things for now."

Delic's back lifts with a large shaky inhale. His voice softly creaks with immense pain and, without a doubt, the tears staining the pillow he's pressing his face into. "Why can't I be happy alone, Psyche?"

Psyche stills, his heart jerking with more stabbing sensations. Of all the numerous things he could say, he chooses; "Because no one likes to be alone, Delili. Everyone wants someone to walk through life with, but you have to be happy with yourself first."

Delic remains silent for too long, and Psyche nudges his feathers against his neck again. Suddenly, the blond's body shifts, rolling onto his side as his arm grabs the bed cover and carelessly tugs it over himself backwards. Psyche sighs with minor relief, fluttering around Delic's blond mop of hair to re-nest under his chin.

"Let's nap it off then go back and gorge at that cafe, Delili."

Delic exhales a huff through his nose, ruffling Psyche's feathers. "Why not," he mumbles back, already situated to go to sleep.

Tsukishima has been waiting in the library for twenty minutes now, even Hachimenroppi has grown testy sitting and watching the blond pace back and forth. Flipping open his phone, the blond shoots his twin a text as his last resort. Delic just doesn't disappear after school anymore, always messaging Tsuki his plans when band wasn't practicing so he wouldn't sit waiting for his sibling to walk home with, but today Tsukishima has been left in the dark and the worry gnaws at his stomach with all the possible things his twin could be up to.

Tsuki's gaze is starting to harden when Hachimenroppi pipes up. "He's not a child and neither are you, you're able to walk home by yourself."

"Then why are _you_ here?" Tsukishima snaps as he spins on the brunet at the reading table. Hachimenroppi's mouth gapes minutely and Tsuki's eyes widen immediately, growing stricken, as he realizes he's misdirected his worry at the brunet with aggression. "I'm so sorry, Hachimen, I didn't mean that!"

Roppi's mouth closes with a lick of his lips. With how he himself acts, he forgives Tsukishima instantly. "Why are you so worried? Delic's more street-smart than you and with your family's strength situation, he's probably fine and too busy to notice his phone buzzing."

"That's not true," Tsuki dismisses with a quick shake of his head, "Delic-nii is just as attached to his phone as I am." For the younger, the built-in GPS was his consistent saving grace, meanwhile for his older sibling, his catalog of downloaded music and the portable radio stations were his haven, as well as the internet access to his gossip and music sites. Delic always kept his phone in his front pocket, there'd be no way he'd miss its ringing or buzzing against his thigh.

"It's..." Tsuki anxiously fidgets with his hands, turning the phone over in hands repeatedly. "Nii-san doesn't always take proper care of himself, especially if he's been hurt."

Roppi watches Tsukishima's actions carefully before speaking again. "You complained – just this morning – about him hogging the bathroom to put on make-up."

"Not that kind of care." The blond shakes his head again hastily, strands of hair getting in the way of his glasses and forcing him to stop fidgeting to fix his hair. As Tsuki combs some blond strands behind his ear, his phone chimes with a message. He startles lightly, hurriedly sliding his phone open to read the reply.

"[Home,]" it reads, followed with an emote of a bed and several Zs, "[sorry.]"

It's far less lively than his twin's usual texts and it ultimately makes Tsukishima worry more. If Delic had truly just forgotten as Roppi was trying to reassure Tsuki, then he'd get a reply more along the lines of; "Aw, is my lil bro worried? How sweet!" followed by an overuse of emojis and then, finally, an explanation. Tsukishima can only hope that his brother is catching a cold, but even then he would have noticed his twin sniffling or something strange as he tries to hide his illness so that the rest of the family doesn't worry about him more than they already do.

"I have to go home, Hachimen."

Roppi's gaze stays fixated on his crush as he hurriedly gathers his books into his schoolbag. Seeing Tsuki slowly being consumed with worry for his sibling makes him feel uncomfortable and unusual. The expectation on him to fuss over his little brother ceased long ago and Hibiya's behaviors were some of the least concerning in terms of what he could get up to anyway. Hibiya was easily frightened, but he wasn't a simpleton, he didn't walk down alleyways or any such dangerous behavior more typical of their family name. Hibiya could take care of himself in any situation disregarding a fight, so why does Roppi suddenly feel bad for not expressing a similar worry for his sibling? It's not as if Hibiya needs to be worried about.

"Can I come with you," Roppi asks quietly. He's not entirely sure why he wants to. Perhaps he wants to see more of the two interacting out of his abrupt interest. Roppi's never considered Delic pleasant company, but whatever he may or may not be up to has Tsukishima so twisted up that he can't help but want to do _something_ to ease his crush's troubles. Tsukishima goes out of his way to do things for him, so Roppi should extend the same.

Tsuki pauses after shrugging his schoolbag back on to smile petitely at the brunet. His cheeks tint pink and his fingers fumble mindlessly with his bag's strap. "W-Would you like to bake some with me? Delic-nii always cheers up when I make cake."

The raw innocence and the pure domesticity of the blond's proposition spears through Hachimenroppi's heart like a thrown javelin. His face ignites and his lungs stutter with his next breath. "Okay, but I'm not taste-testing any sweet crap."

Tsukishima's worry disappears from his face as a wider smile bursts forth. His feet shuffle in place nervously as he switches his weight from foot to foot. "I'm so happy, Hachi! I haven't had a baking partner in so long!"

Roppi sits up stiffly, his eyes awkwardly staring elsewhere in effort to not meet Tsuki's gaze. Quickly dumping all of his books into his schoolbag and ignoring the muffled grunt, Roppi rears around the table hastily, snatching Tsukishima's hand on the way. The blond stumbles once as he's dragged towards the double doors, but recovers quickly with his longer legs.

"Let's get going already."

"A-Ah, okay!"

The venture to the Heiwajima apartment is horridly uneventful and entirely mundane, but to the duo it's perfect. Neither really talk, with the occasional exception of Tsuki mumbling directions to himself, and so both take peaceful delight in each other's physical presence. Hachimenroppi refuses to let go of Tsukishima's hand until they make a quick stop at a supermarket along the way to pick up some ingredients that the blond knows is scarce at home.

"Do you like a certain flavor of cake, Hachimen?" Tsuki asks as they stroll down the aisle. His gaze bounces between various icings and flavored mixtures.

"I don't really care for cake," Roppi replies easily.

The brunet's face is hued pink from their prolonged hand-holding and his hand is still warm and slightly sweaty from Tsuki's hand. He's never shopped with the intention to cook or bake and feels a bit awkward, and then stupid on top of that for even feeling awkward doing such a common activity.

Grabbing a tub of icing boasting a bright pink color and strawberry taste for his basket, Tsuki inquires again. "What about cookies?"

Roppi's nose wrinkles as his mind is bereft of any dessert he honestly cares for. "Are you planning to bake me something?"

"Yes, I'd love to!" Tsukishima admits honestly and openly with an ecstatic smile. Roppi chokes on his next breath as his face flames up, one hand jerking to cover his mouth as he coughs.

"When we were little, Papa, Delic-nii, and I used to cook together all the time." Tsuki recalls with a wider smile. One of the blond's favorite memories is from when he was too small to reach the counter by himself and would have to be picked up and held to help stir and mix the batter. It's probably a tad childish to others, but Tsuki still adores how warm his father's embrace is. "Papa works a lot more now and Delic-nii and I are busy with school and college planning, but I still love baking, even if I'm doing it alone."

"I have free-time," Roppi finds himself saying before his mind's caught up with his tongue. His heart smacks against his ribcage as he realizes that he's just offered himself as a baker's assistant to the other man. There are hundred upon hundreds of worse ways to spend his time than by baking cakes and other pastries with Tsuki, but he's just proposed that he's open to spending alone time with the blond in his apartment. The Heiwajima's aren't as outrageously well-off as his family is, but surely they own a couch and some beds. Entirely alone with Tsukishima, Hachimenroppi has no idea what he might do. Roppi nervously wipes his the sweat off of his hands and on to his uniform slacks. He still hasn't officially asked the blond out and Tsuki deserves much better, but somehow the other man always manages to choke his brain out with a single glance and Roppi dumbly moves on impulse alone.

Tsukishima's eyes twinkle under the fluorescent lightning of the supermarket as a soft rose paints his cheeks. "I-I can look up recipes if you have an idea of what you might like to try."

"Anything you pick will be fine." Roppi replies as he fixes his eyes on the icing selection.

Tsukishima hums, glancing back and forth between his basket and the shelves. "W-Would you like me to try making a coffee cake? I only need cinnamon for it."

Roppi's eyebrows furrow minutely. The Heiwajima sweet-tooth wasn't exactly well hidden, anyone that occasionally glanced at the twins during lunch hour would quickly notice a high preference for sweet flavors over bitter ones. "You know coffee cake recipes off of the top of your head?"

Tsuki sheepishly tilts his head downwards, downcasting his eyes to his shoes. "A-Ah. I, um, I was going to make it for you a-anyway. A-As a surprise!"

Hachimenroppi's whole body trembles as he exhales wheezily. " _Go grab it and let's pay already,_ " he barks.

Tsuki's head snaps up, startled. "O-Okay!" The blond offers a brief smile before trotting down the aisle. He pauses at the end, looking both ways and muttering to himself about the direction of the aisle with the spices.

Hachimenroppi sighs heavily, marching up to blond to snatch his hand and drag him in the correct direction, lest they waste more time in the supermarket.

"The kitchen is big enough for two, but it'll be a bit cramped." Tsuki says as the duo remove their shoes at the door.

Walking inside, the blond heads straight to the kitchenette to deposit their groceries as Roppi stands in the living room, appraising the lively walls. The Heiwajima apartment walls lack spare space, picture frames hanging everywhere above Roppi's neck. Family photos are the most prominent, followed by school photos. Roppi meets a familiar blond face every time he turns his head. Peculiarly, he feels self-conscious. Kissing Tsuki on his couch will be _so_ uncomfortable if he has to open his eyes. There's no way he can make-out with the other man with pictures of his younger self and his father staring back at him!

Roppi turns and wrinkles his nose at a photo of Delic from a school festival. The blond in the image is offering back a shit-eating grin that Roppi recognizes from the library door windows. He wants to roll his eyes, but the effort would be wasted on a photo. Roppi glances down the small hallway leading to five rooms. Two of the doors are shut and Roppi presumes them to be the toilet and the missing blond's room. He's thinking about disappearing down the hall to glance into Tsukishima's room when the other man speaks.

"I'm going to check on my Nii-san, Hachimen. T-The glasses are above the sink, if you'd like a drink."

"I'm fine," the brunet replies as Tsuki passes him in the living room.

Tsukishima knocks once on his brother's door. Gaining no reply, he knocks again and waits a solid minute before barging in without permission. Tsuki's lips press together in worry as he peers into the dark room. There's a body-sized lump under Delic's overturned spread, but Tsuki waits and watches for the rise and fall of his breathing before believing his brother is actually under the blanket.

Hachimenroppi sneaks a glance inside as Tsuki silently shuffles in to check on his sibling. Delic's walls manage to be more cluttered than the hallways, with posters of various music groups and movies plastering every centimeter of bare wall. The lingerie model playfully posing in lace undergarments stuck to the ceiling is all Roppi really needs to see to send his curiosity back to the living room.

"Delic-nii," Tsuki whispers as he leans over the lump. Seeing his sibling actually asleep eases the blond's worries. Delic's phone is even still out and laying on the mattress by the pillow and it quirks a smile onto his lips. Picking up the device to plug it into its charger first, Tsukishima departs the room.

Roppi swallows as Tsuki closes the bedroom door behind him. "Is that your room?" Roppi asks while pointing to the adjacent room.

Sunlight filters into the hallway from the open blinds in the room. Having an idea of what Delic's room looks like, Hachimenroppi can't squash or ignore his immense curiosity about the appearance of the younger twin's bedroom. Does Tsuki have posters all over his room too? The blond doesn't share many similar interests with his brother and has far more modesty, but he's got to have _something_ on his walls. Does he at least have a bed of a similar size?

Tsukishima flushes pink and his eyelashes flutter as he looks at his white socks. "W-Would you like to see my room, Hachimen?"

Roppi nods jerkily, inhaling sharply when the blond grabs his hand and walks towards the open door. He happily allows Tsuki to lead him into the room by the hand. Hachimenroppi's feet drag slightly as his eyes notice the large bookcase-desk combo against the wall first. The desk cove is mainly bare, obviously spare for reading space or for the laptop tucked into the corner next to a cup of writing and math utensils and a box of tissues. The bookshelves, however, are packed full with books, some even stacked on their sides on top of others. Roppi skims the titles, recognizing Tsukishima's interest in astronomy in the majority.

"Bookworm," Roppi mumbles under his breath. It's neither derogatory nor a compliment, but Tsuki flushes a bit more regardless. In effort to appear more comfortable and less nervous, Tsuki unpacks his schoolbag at his desk as Roppi walks around his room looking at his things.

The blond's bed boasts the same size as his sibling's, to Hachimenroppi's delight, and is set up in the corner against the wall and windows in a similar fashion. The sheet set is a simplistic white, the spread a pale red fleece. Tsuki is quick to become cold and Roppi can relate, as well as think of some mutually beneficial ways to warm up.

Tsukishima's dresser displays a number of models of planets and machines, some clearly hand-made with minor imperfections and others store-bought and put together at home. A terribly simplistic robot appears to be the oldest, and Roppi assumes that the blond made it as a child but kept it for the memories. A framed picture sits beside it, partially obscured by the robot's extended arm. Picking up the frame gingerly, Roppi examines the photo. The twins are center frame and much younger, Roppi guesses around eight or nine. Tsuki's missing his glasses in the photograph and it causes Roppi trouble telling the smiling duo apart. They're clearly at a party of some sort in the image, freckles of glitter scattered in their then-brown hair, and someone had taken it upon themselves to have smeared some icing and cake across their faces.

"A-Ah," Tsukishima exclaims as he turns around and sees the brunet with the framed photograph. Roppi's attention snaps from the picture to the blond's red face. "T-That picture's so embarrassing."

The blond's face and shy fluttering eyelashes rock Hachimenroppi's mind like an earthquake and his tongue struggles to move as if it's been tied down with lead. "You're cute." Roppi says, hand stiffly jerking up the frame before putting it back on the dresser incorrectly.

Tsukishima's face manages a shade darker as his fingers fidget with one another. "I-I am?"

Roppi's eyes widen as his face colors as well. He could stress that he meant for a _were_ to be in there somewhere, but the words are free and they're not exactly untrue either.

Tsukishima makes several breathy H sounds before managing to verbalize; "Hachimen." Tsuki's fingers continue to rub against one another mindlessly and his eyes are suddenly fixated on his shoes as if they're the most fascinating things in the room. He inhales deeply under Roppi's gaze, his chest expanding fully and demanding Roppi's stare.

The blond is oddly and abruptly struggling, his mouth moving and the beginning syllable of his first world being exhaled more than spoken. Hachimenroppi has always been mindful and patient when it came to Tsuki's speech impediment, but he's growing agitated with the time they're wasting not closer together. Roppi's patience finally runs out when the blond fully verbalizes a _would_ after two agonizing minutes and then begins struggling with his next word.

"Be my boyfriend," the brunet blurts out, interrupting Tsukishima's verbal struggling.

Tsuki freezes still, his head snapping up and mouth gaping as his voice leaves him entirely. Roppi dares not to move his eyes even a centimeter up Tsukishima's chest, stupidly afraid that he might see an expression that he can't handle. He watches the blond inhale again, lighter and airier.

"Okay!" Tsuki's bright voice exclaims.

"Okay?" Roppi parrots back suspiciously. His gaze lifts as his shoulders untense, and his heart stops at the vision of the other man.

Tsukishima's eyes have crinkled at the corners, and Roppi can even see the dreamy film covering them through the blond's glasses. His cheeks are painted with a cherry red, and the brunet knows that the stress of his impairment is not the reason why they've colored so deliciously. Tsuki's blond mop of hair is a mussed mess from his sharp jerk back up, but all that Roppi can suddenly think about doing is messing it up further with his fingers.

Hachimenroppi's heart has begun to beat so furiously in his chest that he thinks it might've miraculously transformed into a drum. His blood is churning in his ears like an ocean during a storm and he's beyond positive that his brain is being denied its rightful amount in favor of other, more needy organs.

"I'm so happy, Hachi." The other man exhales airily. "I, I think my heart's gonna burst."

"You're not stuttering anymore," Roppi dumbly says.

"Oh. I," Tsukishima swallows as he fits a strand of hair behind his ear, "I'm not nervous anymore."

Roppi's lips curl into a meager frown. " _I_ made you nervous?"

"Asking someone out is so difficult," Tsuki says while pressing the tips of his index fingers together, "I don't know how you and Nii-san manage it."

The brunet's eyes threaten to pop free from his skull. " _You_ were going to ask _me_ out?"

Tsuki shyly ducks his head. "I _really_ like you, Hachi. I was… Well, you must like me too, otherwise you wouldn't have asked."

" _Idiot_ ," Roppi barks. He's not sure who he means to insult, but he's full of confidence when he shoots his arm forward and tightly latches onto Tsukishima's white scarf.

"Ah, Hachi-" Tsuki tries to warn, but he's too late and his loose scarf is pulled free from it's limp hang around his neck. Without the blond's weight acting as an anchor to keep him upright, Hachimenroppi falls backwards and sprawls unceremoniously onto Tsukishima's bed.

Tsuki covers his mouth with three fingers, hiding his small amused smile as the brunet's body bounces slightly on his mattress. One of Roppi's legs hang awkwardly over the edge, almost able to touch the floor with his foot again, as his other leg fell back onto the bed entirely, with just his foot hanging off.

Roppi's face is heating up with useless and contemptuous embarrassment, his hand gripping the scarf tighter as if it were a traitor's neck, when Tsukishima suddenly _giggles_. The gentle noise spears through Hachimenroppi's exhausted heart and he swears that his bones are attempting to liquify at the sound as if it were a cue.

Tsukishima's shoulders are starting to lightly shake with his soft laughter when Roppi sits up on his palms and huffs.

"Well?" The brunet demands vaguely.

Tsuki clears his throat, calming down with the action and removing his hand from his face. "Well?"

Roppi's annoyed eyes narrow, his foot finally touching the floor. " _Kiss me._ "

"Oh!" Tsuki jolts in place. Fixing his glasses, he stiffly walks up to his boyfriend on the edge of his bed. Tsukishima's face hues darker as he looks down at the waiting young man. He tries to awkwardly side-step Roppi to sit on the bed, but the brunet is having none of it. Without the blond's scarf to latch onto, his uniform jacket works just fine. With a quick grab and sharp tug, Hachimenroppi pulls Tsuki on top of himself. Tsuki yelps with surprise as he falls, but manages to catch himself on his palms in time to not crush the other man into the bed.

The mattress bounces, lightly knocking both of their knees together with the momentum. Tsukishima blinks once then twice before his eyes blow wide and his face heats up like a furnace. Roppi doesn't intend to back up and Tsuki's heart not sure if it can handle the other man's face just staying still while it's _so close_. Fortunately for the blond's furiously beating heart, Hachimenroppi wants nothing more than to close their distance and doesn't hesitate going after what he wants.

Tsuki inhales sharply as Roppi leans up to kiss him, the rush of air leaving his lungs as quickly as it entered as he melts instantly. His eyes flutter closed as he tips forward and drags his lips across Roppi's. The friction sends a thrill that surges up and down Roppi's spine, and his hands act on their own. One of Roppi's hands comb fingers through Tsukishima's hair as the other cups and caresses his jaw.

The brunet's hold is there, but not forceful enough to keep Tsuki still. So when Roppi pulls back a fraction for a quick breath, Tsukishima follows him forward, inadvertently pushing the brunet back and against his bed spread. Roppi comfortably shifts as he leans back down against the pillows, more than happy to allow Tsuki to trap him. The blond gasps as Roppi's thigh abruptly meets his crotch and Tsuki scrambles back jerkily, falling back onto his ass on his bed as Hachimenroppi stills, remaining shamelessly spread out.

Tsukishima takes three deep breaths to calm his heart, urgently trying to convince it that he is, in fact, not running a race. He fixes his stare out of the window and onto the buildings outside, his hands balling into tight fists against his kneecaps.

Roppi watches the blond carefully, examining his body language before leaning back up. Tsuki's trying to look at anything but him, the accidental touch seemingly putting the blond on a high enough alert to sequester himself to the other side of the bed. "Are you alright?" He asks softly.

Tsukishima inhales through his nose, nodding speedily.

Roppi blinks, considering his next words more heavily. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No!" Tsukishima shouts loud enough for him to clasp a hand over his mouth. "No, I-" He bites his kiss-swollen lip, the skin discoloring with the force. His face is red enough to burst like a tomato dropped onto concrete and his fist tremble as they tighten impossibly further.

"I, um," Tsuki begins, his voice lowering as he speaks, "I won't be able to control myself if we go any further."

Hachimenroppi's left eyelid twitches.

" _Idiot,_ " he barks as his face reddens. "Who said that I wanted you to control yourself?!"

Tsuki's head whirls back, his eyes locking on the brunet and widening. Roppi's hair is mussed from rubbing against the blond's pillows, his school jacket rumpled and in need of an iron. The brunet's lips are plump and a warm red that matches his cheeks. Tsuki's heart pounds like a war drum in his ears, sending all of the blood flowing through his veins rushing south like battle-eager troops. Whatever they're fighting for, they're certainly winning, if the rising flag in his pants is meant to be a sign of victory.

"But, Hachi," he squeaks, "my brother is next door!"

" _So?_ " Roppi stresses. The rumors around Delic weren't all bullshit. He has his own story about walking into the wrong bathroom at the wrong time during first year. Roppi can reasonably assume that Delic's at least brought one person back home for a fling. But beside that point, Tsukishima's twin was encouraging and all about free love and whatever nonsense he spouts to excuse getting his rocks off during lunch break. If either of them had to name someone that'd be the least likely to be upset about their neighbors fucking, it'd be Delic without a single pause for doubt.

"If we wake him, he might barge in!"

Hachimenroppi's expression sours, his lips curling in to frown and his eyes pinching. "Lock the door."

"We share a fire escape."

"Draw the blinds."

"But-"

Roppi's anger is beginning to boil, masking the sudden hurt in his chest. "Do you not want to have sex with me?"

Tsukishima's fists shakes as his fingers unravel to latch onto his trousers. "I do. I _really, really_ do. But I..." He swallows thickly, his eyes sheepishly downcasting to stare at the floor. "I don't wanna be interrupted, I want it be special."

Hachimenroppi feels the arrow piercing through his heart, all of his anger melting away and taking his rising insecurities with it.

"I understand," he manages with his suddenly dry throat.

Tsuki's eyelashes flutter as he looks up and through them at Roppi. "Can we just kiss for now?"

All of the air in Hachimenroppi's lungs escape with his next exhale, spasming his lungs and making him wheeze. " _What kind of stupid question is that?_ "

"I'm home." Shizuo calls as the door shuts behind him. Removing his shoes at the genkan, he spots an extra pair sitting neatly in the corner as a squeaky yip comes from one of the bedrooms. His eyes narrow on the smaller pair, snapping up towards the boys' bedrooms as he walks into the living room. Both doors are open, the remainder of the evening light streaming in, and his first presumption about whose brought a guest home goes out the window as rustling noises come from Tsukishima's room.

Shizuo's nose wrinkles as he approaches Delic's empty room, seeing the bed left a mess and the window ajar. He's not going to presume the worst, he wants to extend the benefit of the doubt to Delic, but, _goddammit_ , they've had lengthy conversations about this! Especially after that boisterous bird got in.

There's a bright pink sticky note posted on the wall between the twins' door frames and Shizuo can't extrapolate much from the scribbled drawings. A slice a cake, a dick, some sort of hand gesture that he doesn't recognize. _Okay, whatever,_ Shizuo thinks. His kids have done worse things than draw crude things on a note, like consistently leaving a window open wide enough to let the birds in. Delic's probably just teasing Tsuki again or something.

Tsukishima peers out of his bedroom, squeaking in surprise at his father standing in the middle of the small hallway. He grips the door frame as he stumbles backwards, tripping over air as he recoiled back.

"Welcome home," Tsukishima's voice quivers as he rights himself.

Shizuo turns to look at the disheveled teen, the corner of his lip twitching in amusement. Tsuki's hair looks like he fought a leaf-blower and lost. His face is redder than an apple, his lips swollen and sporting the indents of a bite. His white school shirt was clearly and hastily buttoned back up, with two buttons through the wrong holes. It was only a matter of time, Shizuo supposes, and at least he can relax. Knowing Tsukishima's reserved nature, his potential partners should be far less worrying and less in need of a suspicious eye.

"Wanna introduce me to your guest?"

Tsuki's eyes widen, his fingers absently rubbing the wooden door frame. "Um..."

Shizuo's light amusement fades at his son's hesitation, worry creeping into his eyes. He can't peer into the bedroom without moving, and Tsukishima's placed himself in the frame to block the small view he has of the teen's desk. Tsuki shouldn't be afraid to talk to him about a boyfriend or girlfriend or whatever to begin with, especially after how loud and open Delic was about everything during the first stages of puberty. So they're _definitely_ someone that he thinks Shizuo won't handle well, but, even then, Shizuo can't think of who Tsuki would bring home that'd potentially upset him, short of bringing Izaya into their house. _Fuck,_ he _really_ hopes that Tsuki isn't into cougars or whoever the fuck Delic met up with for spare change. But no, those shoes were school issue for sure, Shizuo's almost positive.

Tsukishima's bed covers rustle, the mattress springing as weight leaves it, and the young man in the doorway flushes a deeper shade as a hand reaches from behind the door to touch the small of his back. Tsuki's guest circles around him, emerging from the bedroom and taking a step into the hallway to bow.

"Heiwajima-san," Hachimenroppi Orihara greets politely.

Shizuo's mouth gapes, the Japanese language escaping him as his eyes dart between the two. Roppi's regathered himself more neatly than Tsuki, and Shizuo not sure if that's _better_ or _worse_.

"You," Tsuki starts then swallows the saliva in his mouth as if it was his nerves. "You know my boyfriend, papa."

" _Boyfriend,_ " he parrots animatedly, his head cocking and rearing back. _Since when,_ Shizuo wonders; and then, more importantly, _why him_?

"I can leave, if it's necessary." Roppi says quietly, aimed more at Tsukishima than Shizuo.

"No," both answer simultaneously. Tsuki's saucer-wide eyes dart back at his father, having glanced at his boyfriend when he spoke.

"You're staying for dinner," Shizuo says, spacey tone managing to leave no room for a refusal. "We'll be having… Whatever the hell's in the fridge." Trying to snap out of his shocked daze, he waves a hand at Delic's open doorway. "Where the hell's your brother?" That little ass knew this whole time _and_ he was going to leave Shizuo to interrogate Izaya's bastard alone!

Tsukishima starts with Shizuo's inquiry, releasing the door frame to step out and peer into the empty bedroom next door. "I didn't hear him leave?" He half-states, half-questions.

"We wouldn't've," Hachimenroppi mumbles under his breath. Tsuki's face reignites, his eyes honing on the floor, and Shizuo exhales noisily.

A pointer finger jabs into Tsukishima's view, earning a suppressed squeak from the young man and cueing his back to straighten as he follows up the digit and to father's frighteningly serious expression. His knees quake, threatening to knock together as he waits for father to speak. He hasn't kicked Roppi out yet, or demanded that the two break up and never meet again. Tsukishima's blanking mind can't think of any other worst case scenarios, but it isn't as if they're are off the table yet either.

With a deathly serious tone, Shizuo says, "Use condoms."

Tsukishima's hands smack against the skin of his face loudly, the noise echoing down the hall, and effectively covering his face without his scarf on-hand. " _Papa, please don't,_ " he groans, his plea muffled.

" _You,_ " the eldest blond says, turning to Roppi, "got protection?"

Roppi stares back at Shizuo's critical eyes before shamelessly admitting the truth. "I thought it unnecessary, as Tsuki's my first and we're both men."

Tsukishima's fingers part enough for him to gaze softly at the brunet. "Hachi," he exhales with wonder, fogging up his glasses behind his fingers. He hadn't thought to ask the brunet about his sexual history, but his eagerness led Tsuki to an incorrect assumption.

Before any of the three can open their mouths to say anything more, the fire escape rattles noisily as someone climbs its slim stairs. Shizuo whirls on the open window in an instant, long legs and socked feet getting him to the bed in front of the window speedily and silently. Delic's head pops into view just in time to see the glass to sliding down.

" _No, no, no!_ " He pleas, leaping over the last two steps and making it to the window in time to watch his parent click the lock into place.

"We have a front door." Shizuo points in said door's direction, just to be sure that Delic knows where it's located at.

"I forgot my key at school and just left for cake!" Delic says, holding up his bag of purchases as evidence.

The strange note makes far more sense now, but they've had the sneaking-out and leaving the window open conversation eight to twelve times now. "Good thing that you have three people inside to let you in."

" _Dad!_ " Delic calls as Shizuo turns around to head towards the kitchen. " _Dad, please, we're on the fifth floor!_ "

"Exercise is good for you, son."

"I _already_ exercise!"


	14. Genetics and the Familial Relation

There's enough ingredients in the fridge to make tempura, and so Tsukishima trots to the kitchen with a smile in place and an apron donned. Hachimenroppi watches Tsuki dart back and forth from the fridge and the cabinets to the counter as he pulls out everything he needs. He wants to offer to help, though he's hesitant and nervous. Roppi doesn't regularly cook for himself, the only kitchen appliance he knows his way around is their coffeemaker. If anyone could teach him for certain, it'd be Tsukishima, with his seemingly endless patience and limitless kindness. Roppi's heart beats faster as he vividly imagines donning his own apron and pressing against Tsuki's side in the blond's small kitchenette.

Hachimenroppi stands up stiffly, glaring down at his own feet as his face heats up. He takes a minute to calm and prepare himself, unfortunately waiting a second too long as loud knocks and muffled complaints come from the front door. Roppi's head spins between the blond in the kitchen and the one that disappeared down the hall to dress down for dinner. He shares a quick glance with Tsuki, who fidgets anxiously, before deciding to just answer it for them all himself.

Roppi swings the door open unceremoniously, openly glaring at the blond on the other side. Delic's exaggerated expression of exhaustion and annoyance disappears the instant he recognizes the brunet, a wide, toothy grin replacing it. His eyebrows are wiggling mischievously when Roppi sharply backs away to let him in.

"So, you and sweet, sweet Tsuki-"

" _Shut up,_ " Roppi barks, "and get inside before I make you wait for someone else to let you in."

Delic laughs quietly, stepping into the genkan and removing his shoes. "Is that any way to treat your future brother-in-law?"

Roppi scoffs as he turns back to the living room, his eyes rolling like wheels down a steep hill. "Oh please."

" _What?!_ " Delic gasps dramatically, his right hand shooting to his chest as his dessert purchases jostles in his left's grip. "You deflower my innocent Tsuki and then _refuse_ to make him an honest woman?!"

Shizuo reemerges from his bedroom as a loud clatter of utensils falling to the wooden floor comes from the kitchen. His suspicious eyes shoot to the kitchenette, seeing only Tsuki jerkily regather what he's knocked over with a red face, then to the doorway where an equally red-faced Roppi stands with his back to Delic and his horribly amused grin.

"N-Nii-san!" Tsuki tries to admonish, awkwardly stuffing ladles and spatulas into a holding cup.

The other blond turns the corner quickly, excitement keeping him from being still. "So, how was your first time?" Delic's brimmed smile is overeager, though he only halfheartedly expects a legitimate response.

Tsukishima's face blooms rose red, his eyes going as wide as saucer behind his glasses. "H-H-H-"

"Keep your nose out of our relationship," Roppi hisses, shutting the front door a bit too forcefully.

Delic whips his head back to the brunet to squawk, "And let you take advantage of my adorable virgin brother?"

"New rule," Shizuo suddenly announces, reminding the trio of his presence, "no sex in the apartment."

Tsukishima's face sinks into his hands as Delic and Roppi share a look of abject physical pain. "C-Can we have dinner without s-sex talk, please?" He pleas, voice muffled by his fingers.

"Boring," Delic whines as Roppi agrees, "Yes."

The corner of Shizuo's lip quirks fondly and Roppi stiffens instinctively as he approaches them by the kitchenette entryway. Shizuo's arm wraps around Delic's shoulder and brings him closer, his other hand ruffling his newly trapped son's hair. Delic squawks again, his pitch rising and his feet shifting his weight around as he wiggles but doesn't try to escape the weak hold. Roppi's nose wrinkles at the affectionate show, some of the tension the built-up for the eldest Heiwajima leaving his body.

Combing his fingers through the teenager's blond mop for a final time, Shizuo asks "How was school?"

Delic stills and leans his head on his father's shoulder to hum dejectedly. Tsuki pauses his food prep to glance over, passing a worried look to his father. Shizuo picks it up immediately and his hold tightens momentarily.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"No," Delic answers without a beat.

Shizuo sighs. "Alright."

"I'm fine," the shorter blond says after a second of silence.

"Don't lie to me." Shizuo's voice is stern and authoritative to Roppi's ears, but neither of the twins visibly react.

"I'll be fine later," Delic corrects, knocking his head on his father's shoulder.

Shizuo nods, letting the topic die there to move on. "Did you get enough for the whole family?"

Delic's energy returns to him then and he wriggles out from Shizuo's hold like a flailing cat trying to free its head from a jar. He clutches his to-go boxes to his chest childishly, wrapping his long arms around the petite boxes as he openly pouts. "They're _mine_." He warns as he backs up into the kitchenette to put them away. With his eyes trained elsewhere, Delic bumps into Tsuki in the small kitchenette. The older blond turns around sharply, giving his brother the same treatment as his father.

Shizuo shakes his head fondly, meeting Tsukishima's eyes as Delic deposits his cake in the fridge. "What about you?"

"Oh," Tsuki startles. "Uhm, school was uneventful, there was another akuma though."

"Ah," Shizuo exhales, tilting his head as his eyes dart between the twins. "So all of the events were after school?"

Tsukishima flushes with the light tease. " _Papa._ "

"Does the same go for you, kid?" He asks, turning to Roppi and surprising the brunet by involving him in their family conversation.

"Yes," Roppi answers politely.

Tsuki's face warms again and he chops the next vegetable a bit too cleanly with some poorly managed force. His worries have died down somewhat, no longer on edge with the fear that his boyfriend would be thrown out without a chance. In hindsight, he feels a bit silly worrying so much over his father's reaction. While Tsukishima was dating his enemy's eldest son, that didn't mean that the duo were in cahoots. Though, his father could be reasonably worried about Izaya poking his nose around more often if he ever finds out. Roppi rarely mentioned his father, and usually with a bitter edge to his voice.

Delic's head rotates between his twin and the brunet while he shuts the refrigerator door, a smirk blooming across his face as he settles on Hachimenroppi. "Aren't you going to offer to help?" Roppi's eyes widen as he turns to the blond with an embarrassed flush on display. "Tsuki might be the perfect Nadeshiko, but I'm not seeing a ring on those fingers yet."

" _Nii-san,_ " Tsuki yells with a loud _chop_ of his knife mercilessly splitting a carrot. His head furiously spins to his side to glare at his brother despite his cherry red face.

Delic rears back a step, his hands jolting up in mock surrender. He smiles innocently, though he realizes he might've pushed his teasing a _bit_ too far. He can't help how adorable the duo are, they open themselves up for it, really! Delic will happily make the bet that the two marry before he finishes college now.

Out of view of the blond, Roppi's arm raises to smack Delic upside of his head, but a sudden grip to his wrist freezes him still like an icicle pressed to his spine. Stiffly turning his frightened gaze to Heiwajima senior, Roppi's breathing halts under his fierce eyes.

"Playful or not, there's no violence allowed in my home, got it?"

"Yes," the brunet answers quietly and automatically.

Shizuo releases his wrist and Roppi's eyes dart to his skin, marveling at the lack of a mark and pain. The blond's grip had been tight but not _too_ tight, and Roppi's earnestly surprised over the man's control. He only had his father's words on what Heiwajima senior was like and, though he didn't always trust his father's assessment, his head was filled to the brim with numerous warnings and rumors. The man had raised Tsukishima and the young blond is as close to an angel turned mortal that Roppi can name, so something had to be off in his father's stories. Seeing how the trio act so affectionately to one another left a bitter taste in his mouth that Roppi, for once, didn't favor. This household was warm, and not in the claustrophobic sense.

"Hear that," Delic interjects with a jokey tone. "No S&M play allowed, you two."

Another carrot is divided in two with a boisterous _snap_ , the clatter of a knife against the cutting board suspiciously absent. Roppi inhales sharply through his nose to keep himself from huffing over the blond's crassness.

"The same applies in our school, but you can't seem to stop yourself from throwing yourself in front of my brother's feet to be stepped on." Hachimenroppi throws back. He doesn't converse with Hibiya as much as they used to as children, but between the blond's consistent displays of failure and Tsuki's words, he knew how bad Delic had it for his younger brother. Roppi would wonder why if Hibiya actually seemed to enjoy the pursual, but the shorter brunet hadn't shown a single emotion towards Delic beyond disgust in Roppi's presence. Hibiya was practically a Victorian, each and every shameful and shameless flirting attempt immediately dismissed upon being lecherous and uncouth.

Delic stays silent for longer than a beat and Tsukishima's expression of embarrassed anger vanishes as his eyes ignores his dinner prep to watch his sibling's back carefully. Shizuo misses the lull, however Tsuki's open worry snaps his attention to his eldest son.

Delic's lips curl and he smiles mischievously, but even Hachimenroppi can see through the practiced expression and the lack of humor lighting up his eyes. "If only he would," the blond purrs, his eyebrow ticking with the implication. Not wasting another second, Delic quietly excuses himself to the bathroom, lightly bumping into Roppi as he cuts around him hastily.

Things are rapidly clicking together for Shizuo and he sighs elongatedly, his fingers massaging his temples before combing through his hair. Tsuki spares him a glance before the oil in the frying pan bubbles for his attention.

Roppi glances between the duo and down the hallway, the realization of how touchy the subject truly is to Delic sinking in. He doesn't understand the blond's sensitivity and doesn't entirely believe that he has a right to be so, but it won't benefit him to be on rocky ground with Tsuki's twin. He turns and takes a step towards the hallway with the intention of apologizing in mind, but a hand grips his shoulder before his other foot can move forward.

"Leave him alone," Shizuo says authoritatively. "Delic won't admit anything's wrong anyway."

"I'm sorry," Roppi says quietly to the two.

"It's alright, Hachi." Tsuki murmurs while cooking. "We're glad that we know what's wrong now."

Roppi's eyebrow quirks as the blond includes his father. He spares Heiwajima senior a glance and finds his hard stare down the hallway unreadable.

"Will he be alright?" The brunet asks, startling Shizuo in to finally removing his grip on Roppi's shoulder.

"He better be," Tsukishima answers first, his tone finalizing and fingers threatening to snap the chopsticks in his fingers. He stirs the frying prawns a bit more aggressively than necessary, the utensils clinking against the metal pan.

Hachimenroppi blinks owlishly, mildly surprised at the behavior. His boyfriend's temper was more whispered myth than fact until he entered the Heiwajima household and saw it for himself. The comfort of his home and his family eased Tsuki out of shell and Roppi's never been more thrilled in his life or in his pants! Roppi swallows thickly as it strikes him as preposterously attractive. He's never believed his father's expressed motivations behind riling up the Monster of Ikebukuro, but _oh god_.

"It's fucking genetic." Roppi mumbles aloud to himself, quickly realizing his error as both blonds turn to gaze at him questioningly. His face blooms like a rose that's been set ablaze and he awkwardly shuffles into the kitchenette, hoping the counters will at least hide his shame.

Roppi's plan works, at least until Tsuki peeks over at him, suddenly shy with their closer proximity and his father in the room to witness them together, and chokes back a loud, startled squeak. Shizuo's head snaps to the duo, eyes bouncing between the two with confused suspicion.

" _Shut up and tell me where the aprons are!_ " Roppi barks, keeping his eyes trained on the floor. It's not like his boner wasn't rubbing against Tsuki's leg an hour or so ago! Why the hell does he have to freak out _now_?

"W-We- I-I-" Tsuki desperately tries as his brain melts inside of his skull and threatens to pour out of his ears.

" _Oi,_ " Shizuo interjects, ready to reprimand the brunet for speaking like that to Tsukishima and demanding to know if he treats his son like that all the time.

Tsuki's red face is about to burst, but he quickly forces himself through his stutter. " _G-G-Go away, papa!_ "

" _What?_ " Shizuo shouts indignantly and with open confusion. "What did _I_ do?!"

"Oh my god," a third voice joins in. "You always miss the best parts when you go to piss."

Nothing and no one stops Tsukishima from hurling a wooden spoon at his twin at that moment.


	15. Belonging

Hachimenroppi has this natural way of making Tsukishima lose control of himself. Tsuki isn't sure if Roppi even knows the full extent of how he affects him. Even though the brunet had coaxed him to loosen up while they had been making out, Roppi had probably never anticipated Tsuki biting him, and Tsuki himself had never considered marking his crush up until the brunet's bare neck was there, shuddering under the caressing heat of his breath. Thankfully, Roppi hadn't minded in the least, instead releasing a noise that Tsukishima very much wanted to hear again and again.

Everyone is panicking, Tsuki thinks. He can barely tell with how hot his face feels, like a volcano about to erupt. Most importantly, he thinks Roppi is embarrassed and feeling threatened and it's only instinct for Tsuki at this point to protect the man he loves like he would any of his family.

Tsukishima's arm throws the wooden utensil in his grasp like a professional pitcher on autopilot and it flies across the room like a spinning missile, squarely connecting with his twin's forehead.

" _Ow, fuck!_ " Delic loudly hisses, tightly gritting his teeth to grind out the blooming pain. His hands shoot up to protectively cradle his forehead as the offending spoon clatters to the floor in two pieces.

Shizuo tries to manage his voice when he demands; "What is _wrong_ with you?" Tsuki yips, his face breaking and his fingers rising to his mouth in surprise, and Shizuo thinks he's failed.

"T-This is my fault," Roppi quickly interjects, despite his heart trying to lodge itself in his throat. His head spins to face Shizuo, his eyes snapping to the floor, and he misses how his boyfriend's eyes narrow with his words. "If I hadn't startled Tsuki then he wouldn't've-"

"I'm sorry," Tsukishima interrupts frankly. "I lost control of myself."

Roppi's gaze whirls back on the blond, surprise lighting up his eyes as he reads the clear determination on Tsuki's face. Hachimenroppi's gut swirls with warming liquid, the problem in his pants that had been dying reviving at the sight and sound of blond's assertiveness.

Shizuo hesitates with what to do and presses his lips together with a nasal sigh.

"Nii-san, are you okay?" Tsuki asks, his voice going soft once more.

Delic purses his lips into an angry pout. Tsuki never meant to actually hurt him, it was a complete accident and he took immediate responsibility, but the only thing on Delic's mind is what his bruise will look like tomorrow. "You owe me _so much_ concealer," he states, fully intending to hold his twin up to paying him back, then follows his seriousness with a put-upon sniffle. Delic hitches his voice, quirking up his pitch for a bratty effect, "and some cake too."

A petite smile displays on Tsuki's face at his twin's childishness. "Okay."

"Strawberry shortcake," Delic specifies, fluttering his eyelashes as if still had the charms of a young child.

Hachimenroppi would want to openly gag if the duo weren't dispersing the tense air with their act.

Tsuki's face is back on the brunet, reddening as he struggles to keep his eyes looking absolutely everywhere but Roppi's crotch. "W-Would you like to use the bathroom, Hachi?"

Roppi flushes, but, before he can politely excuse himself, Delic's face lights up like a Christmas tree and his mouth splits apart. "Oh my god, you got hard in our kitchen!" The blond loudly announces before bursting into a fit of laughter, still holding his forehead.

Tsukishima's face twists with horror, his mouth gaping and his body jerking on autopilot. The handle of the cutting board on the counter is grasped and the flat plastic board is lifted into the air, the few vegetables left on the board falling onto the counter and floor. Tsuki hesitates, the cutting board waving in the air, and Roppi takes his pause to grasp the blond's bicep with both hands to ease his arm back down despite his own desire to throw something at Delic.

"Oh." Shizuo says blasély. Delic's loudmouthed explanation for the Tsuki and his boyfriend's odd behavior relieving him of his worries.

"Will you two go away?!" Tsuki shouts, his voice hitched with embarrassment.

Delic's laughter gags to a halt as his father wraps his arm around his neck, locking his head in place and pulling his body along towards the bedrooms. Delic pats Shizuo's arm as he fruitlessly pleas for release, his socks providing no friction on the wooden floor and helping Shizuo drag him with ease.

Shizuo drags Delic all the way to the blond's bedroom, closing the door with the heel of his foot before finally releasing him. Delic squirms away, whirling around to immaturely stick out the tip of his tongue, but gains no response as his father stares back at him intently. The younger blond squirms more under the attention, unable to read what his parent is possibly thinking with his neutrally fixed expression.

"I said that I'll be fine later, geez." Delic awkwardly reminds, his gaze darting elsewhere and his posture shifting anxiously.

"Your brother and I care about you," Shizuo says sincerely, though sternly. He needs to be reminded and neither Shizuo nor Tsuki have ever minded doing so.

"Yeah, I know." Delic sighs, glaring minutely at the ceiling. "I'm not gonna do anything rash, so you don't have to worry, okay?"

Shizuo hums, not entirely believing his son's words. They were all rash on occasion. Hell, the bruise on Delic's forehead spoke for that by itself. But, things aren't as they used to be with Delic and he _should_ really be fine in time as he gets over his supposedly unrequited crush. Certainly, he has healthier outlets for himself this time around.

"We love you, no matter what."

"Yeah," Delic flushes, "I know." He fidgets in place, unconsciously mimicking his twin for a moment. "Can we stop talking about this? Me?"

"Alright," Shizuo sighs.

Delic visibly relaxes, the self-applied pressure vanishing. No longer under scrutiny, he trots to his full length mirror to examine his forehead for himself. His bruise isn't _horrible_ , but it _is_ noticeable. At least Tsuki and his father can't complain when he hogs the bathroom tomorrow morning.

"So, _that's_ the local curmudgeon?" Shizuo asks after the short lull between them, jerking a thumb back at the closed door.

"Aren't they cute together?" Delic gushes openly. "When I woke up, all I could hear was-" He breaks off to make kissing noises, wrapping his arms around himself for added effect. "Wouldn't surprise me if they spent an hour sucking face!"

Shizuo's lip twitches with distressed disgust. "I don't want to know what they were doing." It was bad enough knowing Delic's exploits as he used to happily talk about them over cereal in the mornings.

"Each other, hopefully!" Delic bursts, more excited over the prospect of his brother losing his virginity than Shizuo is comfortable with.

"Try not to tease your brother so much."

The younger blond gasps, "I tease the appropriate amount!"

"You don't," Shizuo playfully scoffs with a shake of his head. "Marriage, really?"

"You mean you _don't_ hear wedding bells when those two look at each other?!" Not to mention how either Tsukishima or Hachimenroppi would look in a white wedding dress. It would suit Roppi better, but Delic can't help that he's bias to brunets in white himself.

" _I_ don't wanna think about being related to Izaya." Shizuo retorts distastefully, mumbling an addition as he thinks over Delic's proposition. "Sooner than I have to..."

Hachimenroppi pays extra attention to his breathing, slowing and evening it to calm himself down. Tsuki had gone back to his cooking to give the brunet some space as well. They're still alone by the time Roppi feels his embarrassment has died significantly enough to stand next to the blond again. Tsukishima side-eyes him and smiles petitely as he notices, taking the step closer to press their sides together, his longer arms allowing him to still tend the food. Roppi feels his face heat up and his heart-rate spike a fraction to a still comfortable speed.

"Why did you do that, Hachi?" Tsuki quietly asks as he stirs the pot of miso soup.

Roppi's eyebrows quirk downwards in confusion, unsure what the blond is talking about. "What?"

"You tried to take the blame for me," Tsuki clarifies with a small frown.

The brunet opens his mouth, though he's still uncertain about what he wishes to say. Because Shizuo Heiwajima is scary? Though Roppi has only been in their home for a short while, his boyfriend's father only seemed remotely frightening when his children were threatened or upset in some way. Because he'd rather be punished than the blond? The worst punishment Roppi can come up with that Heiwajima senior could dish out was disallowing them to date, but his concerns over that were dwindling as the older blond included him in their friendly conversations. He and Tsuki could definitely manage the blond being grounded a day or week for Delic's bruise too. That wouldn't be the end of the world for either of them, though Roppi would be upset that he couldn't make-out with Tsukishima as soon as he'd like.

"It was my fault that you freaked out," the brunet settles on.

"Well, sure." Tsuki says unexpectantly, shocking Roppi's attention to him. "But, it was my fault that I didn't control my reaction better." The blond fidgets with the new spoon in his hand, rubbing the pads of his fingers along the plastic. "I don't want you to take the blame for me, Hachi. I need to own up to that stuff myself."

Hachimenroppi's blush furthers into a cherry hue. The blond's virtuousness was going to kill him for sure. "Yeah, okay."

Tsuki turns his head to the brunet fully, his closed smile wide. Roppi's heart-rate speeds up again as the blond opens his mouth to speak, when suddenly a muffled yell emits from the bedrooms.

"Don't offer your brother any porn!"

Tsukishima's face instantaneously twists with abject horror, his lips spreading apart with their best impression of Edvard Munch's _The Scream_. Hachimenroppi's head jerks towards the floor, his eyes attempting to glare holes into the floor as Delic's doorknob twists with a rattle from Shizuo trying to make his escape.

" _Put that shit away! I don't wanna see it either!_ "


	16. Takaashigani (Part One)

Dinner with the Heiwajimas sticks in the forefront of Hachimenroppi's mind throughout the night, specifically their warm interactions with one another and the obvious care they showed for each other. Roppi can't recall the last time his father called him and Hibiya for a family dinner or a general get-together and it leaves him slightly sour.

Throughout their meal, Heiwajima senior bounced his attention between his sons. With their school days being an upsetting secret or outright dull, Shizuo had just run through what seemed to be common topics. For Delic, it had been music that he had listened to that day or related news, and, for Tsuki, it was if he had read anything new or interesting on one of the various scientific sites he follows. Roppi had comfortably leaned back while he ate, watching the trio silently and taking them in, but his wallflower routine was consistently interrupted. Ever so often when a lull began in conversation, Shizuo would turn to Roppi and ask him something about himself, trying to cue him to join in their banter. The brunet had been awkwardly surprised, but offered his information nonetheless.

Roppi could count on one hand the people that openly looked or were actually interested whenever he spoke about his biology classes and studies. While Heiwajima senior didn't seem able to follow along so much, he still tried, which was more effort than Delic seemingly offered back. "You two are such cute _nerds_ ," he had cried, the tease lightening his bored voice, before literally and sharply crying as Tsukishima pinched his arm as punishment.

The whole meal left Hachimenroppi _wanting_ , but not for more food. He wasn't sure what to make of his new mixed up feelings. Some desperately tried to stay elusive as Roppi thought, others were simply still too confusing and unidentifiable. Something sits in his stomach like a stone, and he wants to evict it already.

"Hachimen-nii," Hibiya says, surprised, as he enters the kitchen. "You're up early."

Roppi gently startles from his thoughts, glancing up at his little brother. "Yeah," he murmurs, "I slept well, so..."

Hibiya's calm expression brightens. "That's wonderful."

Roppi hums back as the other brunet goes about making himself a light breakfast. He watches Hibiya's morning routine idly, sticking to his own spot leaning against the counter in front of the coffeemaker as it brews. He hasn't had the desire or urge to talk to his little brother in what seems like years, not even for detestable small talk, but now he feels shaken up with his own prior behavior. Keeping himself shut up hadn't done much for him and now he thinks that he regrets it. Tsukishima had cracked his shell and his overflowing warmth had poured into all of Roppi's crevices. The brunet had always thought that he'd stay warm by huddling alone, but after feeling the blond's skin against his own, he wants nothing more than to crawl back into Tsuki's bed with him.

"Hey," Roppi says, lifting his focus from the floor to Hibiya. "Do you want to walk to school together?"

Hibiya's eyes flutter with surprise, his hands freezing in their movements. "I would greatly enjoy that, Hachimen-nii."

Roppi's face flushes a soft pink, so he stands upright and turns to finally prepare his to-go thermos with coffee. He can feel Hibiya's gaze on his back as the brunet quietly eats. He knows that Hibiya has something to say, he just wishes he'd say it already before he snaps and demands he speaks.

As if reading his mind, Hibiya says, "You seem…. Very happy this morning, Hachimen-nii."

Roppi's eyes narrow on the black liquid at that. He didn't feel happy per se, but he certainly was… _something_. "It's probably Tsukishima's influence," he says aloud though softly, unsure if he means it to himself or Hibiya.

"I see," Hibiya hums with thought. "I'm pleased to hear that you're making friends with Heiwajima-kun. He's quite pleasant."

"Comparative to who?" Roppi scoffs, partially as a joke and partially with interest. However, Hibiya continues to quietly eat his breakfast, so Roppi continues. "His brother?"

Hibiya's hand stills, utensil poised above his plate. "Please refrain from mentioning that abhorrent lech while I eat."

Hachimenroppi turns his head to catch a glimpse of Hibiya's disgusted expression. Now that he and Tsuki are dating, Delic is going to be around more often, or in the very least brought up in conversation more. He wants to press his younger sibling on his feelings for the blond, but he'll allow Hibiya the space for now. Regardless, Hibiya could certainly manage civility with the Heiwajima trio.

"We're dating," Roppi informs flatly, returning to their previous topic, and Hibiya instantaneously begins to choke loudly and aggressively.

"You and _that- That pervert?!_ " The brunet's strained voice disbelieves.

Roppi spins on his heels to face his younger brother. " _What?! No! Tsukishima!_ "

" _Oh, thank goodness!_ " Hibiya's chest heaves with relief and he takes a long sip of his hot tea to soothe his throat. Roppi's eyes roll as Hibiya calms back down. "Thank you for telling me, Hachimen-nii. I'm happy that you trust me to do so."

"Actually, I'm mostly telling you so that you don't blab to father later."

Gentle shock paints Hibiya's face before he gives a curt, understanding nod. "Alright."

Roppi pulls out the chair alongside of Hibiya, awkwardly sitting next to his little brother as he had Heiwajima senior last night. It's so unusual to feel like a foreigner in his own home, yet he does right now. Roppi can't remember the last time they sat and ate together, even though he's skipping breakfast himself.

"We had dinner together," he softly says as he stares at his thermos.

"He took you out for a date?"

"No," Roppi briskly shakes his head. "Heiwajima-san invited me to stay for dinner." More like demanded it, but it had worked out fine so Roppi can't really complain. "He invited you too." Side-eying Hibiya's surprised expression, Roppi lightly jokes, "I think he wants to size you up."

The hesitance on Hibiya's face is obvious and it lures the softest laugh out of Roppi. "Tsuki's dad is… Actually really nice."

"He didn't..." Hibiya quietly trails off momentarily, " _do_ anything?"

"He… tried to make me feel welcome." And it had worked, Roppi hadn't wanted to leave after dinner. He tried to prolong the visit by doing homework together with Tsuki, but with the two of them working together, they finished sooner than they would have otherwise. It was too early to suss out if he and Tsuki could have sleepovers, though Roppi suspected that they'd only really mind a fourth person hogging their single bathroom.

"I'm _so_ happy for you, Hachimen-nii." Hibiya sincerely says, startling a wide blink out of Roppi. "I haven't seen you so genuinely happy in years."

Hachimenroppi continues to blink, his owlish stare looking at the counter-top but not really focusing on it. "I," he exhales, "I guess I am. But… I think I'm… jealous too."

"Jealous?" Hibiya questions, but Roppi ignores his inquiry for his own as he stands back up. "Are you ready to go to school?"

"Oh! Uhm, yes."

Hachimenroppi doesn't seem like the same person that Hibiya knows, but that isn't a complaint in the slightest. His older brother has always been reserved and quiet, but bold in his own right. Roppi has never let trivial things bog him down and if others tried to get to him, he'd bark back with such an aggressive ease. His older brother was quite abrasive, to his own detriment in Hibiya's opinion, but he seemed to be smoothing out. Be it from maturity finally taking hold or Tsukishima truly having an impactful influence, either way Hibiya was genuinely elated for his older brother. The insomniac had actually slept decently as well!

Hibiya quickly deposits his shoes in his locker for his slip-ons to join his brother at his own locker sooner. They're both earlier than most, but a few students are mingling about the halls. As he rears the corner for Roppi's locker, Hibiya hears the snickers from a small group of older students standing nearby the rows. Roppi's bent in front of the open door, changing his own shoes, when Hibiya stops before the aisle.

 _Freak_

 _Homo_

 _Go Jump_

Hibiya's breathing ceases as his chest thrums painfully, like a struck chord left to ring throughout the silent air. His blood boils and his lips press together tight enough to turn them white. Hibiya sharply turns his head at the group of laughing students to glare before stomping up to his older brother's defaced locker door. Roppi doesn't seem upset in the slightest. In fact, he looks back at Hibiya with mild confusion as he puts his shoes away.

"Do you know their names?" Hibiya demands.

One of Roppi's eyebrows quirk upwards. "What for?"

"To report them for bullying!"

"Why?" Roppi blasély asks and Hibiya fumes all the more.

" _Why? They-_ "

" _They're_ looking for a reaction, and this attempt," Roppi says, swinging a hand towards the words on his locker, "is _pathetic._ "

Hibiya's mouth snaps shut, his lips returning to their pressing. He's not sure if his older brother is implying that he's dealt with worse or if he's honestly unaffected. Has he been dealing with this in silence? For how long? Hibiya needs to get to the bottom of this immediately, his Songbird concerns can wait until after losers stop goading his older brother to kill himself.

Hibiya inhales deeply, ready to begin a tirade when Roppi's attention catches something behind him. The other brunet jerks to stand in front of his locker, hiding it behind his back, before turning to bark at Hibiya. " _Just zip it about this, got it?_ "

 _Absolutely not_ is ready to charge from Hibiya's mouth when a soft voice greets them. "Good morning Hachi, Orihara-kun."

Hibiya huffs and crosses his arms over his chest, unable to fully calm down his tone to be as polite as he'd like. "Good morning."

Tsukishima blinks hesitantly, his lips pursing with distress and his fingers tightening on his messenger bag's strap.

"Don't mind him, Tsuki," Roppi says quickly, "someone was just impolite to him this morning."

The blond's shoulders relax with relief as the idea that he himself was the cause disappears. "I'm sorry, Orihara-kun."

"So am I, "Hibiya unintentionally spits. He tries to focus his glare elsewhere, accidentally meeting the concerned eyes of Tsukishima's twin as he stands behind the other blond. Delic's eyes widen minutely as Hibiya's glare intensifies with suspicion on him, his posture shrinking slightly.

Patting Tsukishima's shoulder, Delic gestures down one of the halls. "I'm gonna head to the music room til class, see you later."

Tsuki nods with a miniscule smile, watching and waiting until his twin has put significant distance between them before turning to Hibiya. "Orihara-kun," he starts, the soft voice Hibiya's familiar with going rigid with seriousness. Roppi seems to have noticed too, his attention fixated on the blond. "Have you said anything to my brother recently?"

Hibiya blinks with confusion, his arms slowly uncrossing themselves to appear less defensive, and pauses to recall their last encounter. "He helped me open my locker yesterday. I thanked him and told him to leave me alone, but nothing more."

Tsukishima's lips part then press unevenly with a nasal exhale. "Okay. Thank you." He tips his head forward slightly with a polite bow as his gentle tone returns.

"Is something the matter?" Hibiya can't help but ask, his curiosity piqued.

Tsuki hesitates, staring at Hibiya long and hard as if he should already know the answer to his own question. However, Hibiya's confusion only heightens and Roppi sighs noisily.

" _Idiot_ ," the older brunet snaps, "Delic's in love with you."

" _What?! Preposterous!_ " Hibiya quickly hurls back.

Roppi leans his head forward, his arms crossing defiantly. "I'll reiterate; _idiot_!"

Hibiya mimics his older brother's posture, instead balling his hands into fists at his sides. "Don't insult my intelligence after declaring something _so_ ridiculous as fact!"

Tsuki's free fingers rise to cover his mouth in shock and fear as the two narrow on one another, his shoulders shrinking to appear smaller and less active in their disagreement as well. He never meant for this to become an argument.

" _You're_ being ridiculous! How can you be _so_ blind?"

" _Blind?!_ " Hibiya guffaws. "To _what?_ 'Hey, nice ass'?! How truly romantic and endearing! It can only be love!"

Roppi shifts from one foot to the other, unable to come up with anything in response to that. Tsuki's flirting wasn't stellar either, if it happened at all, and Roppi can only imagine some of the things that Delic would say to make a pass at Hibiya.

" _What the hell is that?_ " A voice growls, deep and furious.

Roppi turns, almost expecting Heiwajima senior to appear out of the thin air, and instead jerks still as he meets Tsuki's narrowed gaze, the blond's accusatory index finger aimed at his closed shoe locker. "It's not a big deal, Tsuki." The brunet hurriedly implores, his body shifting to keep the worst of the graffiti hidden.

" _Like hell it isn't,_ " Tsuki quietly growls, his fingers tightening on his strap until his knuckles go white. " _Move._ "

"Heiwajima-kun," Hibiya exhales with immense surprise, floored at the blond's sudden change and his choice of language.

Roppi refuses to move, still willing to try verbally defusing the blond first. "Seriously, Tsuki. They're just looking for a reaction, it doesn't bother me in the least."

With no option left, Tsuki releases his messenger's bag strap and reaches forward with both hands, grabbing both of Roppi's arms and lifting him off of the floor to relocate a few feet to the left. Roppi gasps mutely, surprised at how seemingly weightless he is in the blond's hands. It sends a rush of warmth to his gut, the heat coiling like a spring. It's the wrong and worst time to be turned on, but Hachimenroppi really can't help it when Tsuki manhandles him, even gently.

As Roppi is gingerly placed back down, the abusive graffiti is fully exposed and the words process in Tsuki's mind like scalding irons meeting his skin. Tsukishima's been called a great many inappropriate and incorrect things for everything under the sun, from his stutter to his occasionally childish behavior, but these things are not directed at him. They're directed at Hachimenroppi, and Tsuki's not going to hold back what he's feeling for him.

"Who is it?" Tsuki demands.

Roppi's mouth opens then closes. His stubborn yet cautious expression withers as he gazes up at the blond. With a hesitant gesture, the brunet points to the small gaggle of teens still chatting amongst themselves nearby the shoe locker rows. Roppi's done his research on the miniscule gang, deeming them worthless to engage with. Wakatsuchi has always been the ring leader, with the largest frame and mass of the bunch. His alcoholic father was likely the reason for his lashing out. Hagiwara, on the other hand, just wanted a group to belong to, while Yamaji and Goto were just people of the unpleasant and less intelligent variety that truly enjoyed harassing weaker individuals to improve their own poor self-esteem. They were all so typical that Roppi wanted to vomit and had only bothered to follow them around for a day. In the end, Wakatsuchi was the only one worth akumatizing. Roppi had predicted that the young man would go looking for his parent, but had been disappointed as the young man had just caused a ruckus in school instead, shaking it relentlessly and being the general nuisance he normally was.

Tsuki and Hibiya both turn to glare at the group of teenagers, the blond stomping forward without a second delay. Tsuki's furious gaze slowly moves between the four teens as they notice him approaching, his eyes roaming over each one carefully to size them up. With his height, Tsukishima is fittingly threatening, but his weight is nothing compared to small gang's the ring leader.

Wakatsuchi mimics Tsukishima's behavior before chuckling at the blond's uncharacteristic look. "What the hell do _you_ want," he sneers, leaning his head forward to taunt, "four-ey— _Uh!_ "

Before any of the brunets could blink, Tsukishima's hand had shoot forward, his index and thumb pinching Wakatsuchi's nose and holding his nostrils closed. He pulls back, forcing the other man to follow his movement lest his cartilage snaps, and walks the brunet in his grip back up to Roppi.

"Apologize," Tsukishima demands, his fingers tightening their pinch.

"In your dreams, you fuckin-" Wakatsuchi cuts off with a nasally whine as the blond begins to slowly rotate his wrist, twisting the brunet's nose as he struggles to peel off Tsuki's fingers while turning his head with the blond's motion.

Hibiya sharply turns away from the display to his older brother, whose eyes are now twinkling indecipherably at the blond.

"You're a fucking freak like the rest of your family, Heiwajima!" Wakatsuchi shouts, giving up on Tsuki's fingers to grip his wrist and fruitlessly tug it away.

"That's right," Tsukishima says softly, though his voice carries the spoken air peculiarly. He smiles minutely, the curve of his lips higher a fraction that cues Roppi's eyes to glimmer further. "Bullies piss me off, so it's best if you apologize."

"I don't want his meaningless apology, Tsuki." Hachimenroppi interjects.

"Then he's going to promise to leave you alone, isn't that right?"

Wakatsuchi laughs nasally, the sound choking off as Tsuki rotates his wrist sharply. "Fine!" He surrenders loudly. "Your bitch is off limits!"

Tsukishima glares, jerking his hand downwards and forcing the other teen into a bow before releasing him. His fingers twitch to curl into a fist and deliver something stronger and more memorable to the brunet, but he's already done more than enough as is.

Wakatsuchi's hands snap to cover his bruising nose as he leans back up. "You're such a fucking fre-" He starts, interrupted by a quick mechanical click and something slicing through the air before his pants hit the floor abruptly.

"Oh my," Roppi exhales, his narrowed eyes on the teenager's briefs as his hand retracts the blade in his hand back into its hilt. "You must leave Hagiwara unsatisfied."

"Hachi!" Tsukishima stresses quietly as his hands grip his messenger bag in front of his person like a safety blanket. "Knives aren't allowed on school-grounds!"

"Are you going to punish me for it, _Heiwajima-sensei._ " The brunet teases back. Tsukishima's face explodes with color, dyeing a deep red at the implication.

Pocketing his switchblade, Roppi reaches forward and grasps one of Tsuki's hands, tugging him along as he walks down the aisle and towards a more private area. "C'mon, I'll walk you to class so you don't get lost."

Tsuki stumbles, but his longer legs allowing him to recover quickly. "Ah, but I don't get lost in school!"

Having been forgotten, Hibiya stands alone in front of his sibling's defaced locker, his face frozen with an expression of trepidatious horror. " _Oh dear lord_ ," he exhales as he watches Roppi lead Tsukishima away, a familiar glaze of desire coating his older brother's eyes.


	17. Takaashigani (Part Two)

Hachimenroppi leads Tsukishima away, half dragging the poor blond behind him as he beelines for the nearest men's restroom. Shoving the door open, Roppi spins on his heels, releasing Tsuki's hand as he retrieves a key from his pocket to lock the door behind them. Tsukishima spares a glance at the empty and open stalls before turning to the brunet.

"Hachi, where'd you get a custodian key?"

"I stole it," the brunet answers back easily.

" _Hachi_ ," Tsuki tries to stress, his voice becoming muffled against Roppi's lips. Tsuki compliantly moves back as Roppi pushes him, pressing against the brick and tile wall of the bathroom as the brunet continues to advance his body against Tsuki's. Roppi's immediate and fervent kisses hazes his mind pleasurably, his boyfriend's chest nuzzling against his own and sharing his warmth. Tsukishima momentarily forgets what he's supposed to be chastising the brunet for as they kiss, his hands caressing around Roppi's stomach to nestle at the small of his back and squeeze him impossibly closer.

"Tsuki _,_ " Roppi pants against the blond's moist lips when he retracts for air. Tsukishima's face fully ignites as he stares down at the blushing brunet through his fogging glasses. Roppi must realize his affect, his right hand leaving the blond's chest to reach around for his left hand. Tsuki squeaks as Roppi tugs his hand away from his back to hold his ass. The blond desperately tries to keep his hand proper as Roppi returns to his mouth with the same intensity as before, but then the brunet is biting his bottom lip and Tsuki _swears_ that it sends all the blood in his veins rushing from his brain. His hand instinctively squeezes and Roppi moans against his lips, the last remaining pint of blood in Tsukishima's head migrating south at the pleased noise.

Hachimenroppi's hands roam around his boyfriend's body, rubbing and massaging his shoulders in the right places he's recently learnt about and cupping his neck to bring Tsuki's face closer. Roppi knocks into his glasses ever so often, still learning the correct positions for kissing with them equipped, though Tsukishima doesn't seem to mind in the least, his eyes closed to enjoy the sensations of his boyfriend's lips fully. Roppi does something right again when he plays with the finer hairs on the blond's neck, Tsuki possessively grabbing his ass again and throwing more fuel onto the roaring fire in Roppi's gut.

Tsukishima would never hurt him, never lay a hand on him with the intent to harm. So, when Roppi finally coaxes the blond to be a bit more aggressive with him, the brunet feels the fireworks going off below his stomach. He should probably feel shame for getting so excited at the prospect of the other man shoving him around, but he really and honestly can't bother when his dick jumps at the mere thought.

Hachimenroppi's next kiss chokes out the little sanity Tsukishima hasn't handed off to his hormones yet. The brunet's lips glide against his just so, Roppi's fingers curl in his shirt and tug it in just the right manner, his mahogany eyes fluttering open and cherry-red flushed face looking up at Tsuki _just so_. Hachimenroppi reeks of coffee and some sort of soft, forest-y scented lotion that his sibling must've passed over to him this morning, and Tsuki wants to curl into the brunet's very smell itself.

Roppi releases a surprised moan when Tsuki lifts him, both of the blond's hands securing under his ass, and shoves him against the locked door. His back presses against the cold wooden door as Tsuki supplies heat in the form of his chest pressing against his own. His feet are unable to touch the floor, but he's still secure in the blond's hands and there's truly no other place Roppi wishes to be.

Tsukishima kisses him again. Once then twice, before migrating to pepper his neck. Roppi's fingers work through the blond's mop of hair, coiling around some strands and combing through others. He's panting, mouth open and eager to free some chosen words that are trapped in his chest, when the bell rings.

Tsuki squeaks, jerking away from Roppi as the school bell jars him back to reality. Without Tsuki's hands on him keeping him up, Roppi slides against the door and onto his ass on the cold tiled floor.

" _Tsuki,_ " the brunet snaps.

"I'm _so sorry_ , Hachi! The bell spooked me! We shouldn't be doing this in school anyway!"

Roppi aggressively pouts as the blond helps him back up, careful to keep his eyes off of Tsukishima's new problem. He's not going to allow Tsuki to win this one. If he can't make-out with his boyfriend at school, then a number of people are going to be having some very bad days. "That didn't stop you earlier."

Tsukishima shamefully looks down, his face still flushed from their kissing. He smiles petitely, happy with himself despite the shame. The expression sends Roppi's heart slamming into his ribcage. "Yeah, I guess not."

Roppi trains his eyes to stay in every direction opposite of the bulge in Tsuki' trousers. "Are you going to be alright, or do you want help?"

Tsukishima blinks. "I don't need help getting to class, Hachi. There are signs everywhere to help me. But, thank you."

"Not _that,_ " the brunet snaps quietly. "I meant with your hard-on."

Tsuki's expression crumbles with embarrassment, his hands slapping over his red face as he shakes his head. "N-No! I'm fine, thank you!"

"You're stuttering, are you lying to me?" Roppi presses, his lips curling slightly at the prospect of skipping to give his boyfriend a hand-job in the bathroom.

" _N-No!_ " The blond squeaks, tightly hugging his messenger bag to hide his current problem. "I'll be fine, thank you!" He says in a rush, hand snapping forward to grab the door handle. Tsuki forgets it's locked, but the handle turns in his grip anyway, crying with a noise of its metal bending and breaking. He yanks the door open, pushing Roppi forward with its forceful movement. "See you later!" He yips quickly, speed-walking down the hallway and to class.

"You scared him off," Hachimenroppi's discarded bag jokes after a beat of silence.

" _Shut up, Tou._ " Roppi quips back. While he was rebuffed, his feelings haven't soured. Tsuki wanted to wait to have time to cherish him, and the very thought rams through Roppi's heart like a speeding bull. He just needs to get Delic out of the Heiwajima apartment on a night their father works late, then they'll be able to do anything they want for however long they want. It should be easy enough to accomplish.

Hibiya returns to his original plan after his brother drags Tsukishima away. With his older brother's issue technically solved, though Hibiya is iffy on how they've settled it, he doesn't have to really worry and can devote himself to his new mission.

The brunet scours the students as they arrive and mingle before class, carefully approaching some with his questions. He hears the same things more often than not, the majority of the girls he converses with about the blond gushing about this or that trait. He's handsome, he's sweet, he's romantic, he hasn't said no to a first date until this year and they're so saddened that they didn't get their turn with the blond. Hibiya juts his tongue out with disgust after he hears the same list from the seventh girl he's inquired with. Who knows what one could catch from that loose Lothario? Why on earth would they be so eager to jump the bones of that cretin, especially when he sexually works like a twenty-four seven open convenience store. The boys Hibiya talks to offer much more diversity. Words of jealousy are the most common; he gets all the girls and that's so unfair, he gets good grades but they've never seen him in study hall once, he has a great body but eats like a bakery's dumpster every lunch. However, one senior in particular, Tsuppari, lights up with interest when Hibiya questions him.

"You wanna know about Heiwajima? Why?" He asks back.

"His brother is dating mine," Hibiya offers back casually. "I'd like to know him better, is all."

Tsuppari nods after lightly scrutinizing him. "Alright. We're not really friends or anything, but we've shared homerooms since middle school. I guess we talk enough, too. What do you want to know?"

Hibiya presses his lips together with slight annoyance. "Preferably something worthwhile. Anything aside from how handsome he is or how you're jealous of him." Some of the men gushed not unlike the girls had. In the very least, Hibiya knows that he and his brother, his brother's boyfriend and his twin are not the only queer students present.

"Nah. Don't buy into that shallow look." Tsuppari says with a minute shake of his head. "Heiwajima looks like he has it all on lock, but he's been a total mess ever since I've known him."

 _Finally,_ the brunet wishes to sigh. "Clearly." Who on earth slept around so much without having some sort of problem?

"The beginning of every year, some idiot would try to pick on him or his brother and Heiwajima would have to dish out the same beat-down. Always over stupid stuff." Hibiya hums in response. _Delic_ was bullied? The brunet can name a number of things Tsukishima could be harassed for, but his twin? _That_ Prom King waiting to happen?

Tsuppari pauses, their conversation lulling as he thinks carefully. "I can't say for certain, but I think he's had problems at home for years." Hibiya's eyebrow quirks with that. His brother had said how happy they all seemed, how familial and close they were. Was that perhaps the outcome of whatever that had transpired?

"I think it was freshman year when the cracks started to show. Heiwajima's freakishly tall, right? He shot up like a sprout and all the girls started to really notice him then, guys too." The brunet nods, holding off on jotting down notes on his phone. "I don't think the attention stopped when he left school. People only care about your age when you're in uniform, you know. Once it's off, they don't care."

Hibiya blinks as his eyes narrow. "You're implying that he's slept around with adults."

"Adults that don't care if you're legal for something for not. But, hey," Tsuppari raises both of his hands up in mock surrender, "Heiwajima clams right up if you ask him, even gotten angry at some girls that've pushed too much. You can see if his brother will talk though."

Hibiya hums thoughtfully before bowing. "Thank you."

"Yeah, no problem. Heiwajima is an easy-going guy though, don't worry so much about getting along with him."

The brunet's nose wrinkles. "Debatable, but I'll accept your advice."

"Uh, okay?" The other student mutters as Hibiya strides off. His eyebrows pinch as he continues to mull over all the information he's gathered. Nothing he's gained assisted with proving or disproving the blond to be his crush in disguise, but he's gained some worthwhile information nonetheless.

Was the blond taken advantage of? That would explain his sudden refusal to date in his final year of school after sleeping around with almost the entire school. With the abnormal strength that runs in his family, is there even a scenario that would leave the blond weak enough to be taken advantage of? Hibiya finds it a little difficult to believe, especially after witnessing Tsukishima snap. He had wholeheartedly believed the blond when he claimed to hate bullies, perhaps his passion was related? Had someone said something that ate at the blond enough to lure him into doing dangerous deeds? Then again, Delic always carries a confident air about himself. Could a typical school bully really _say_ or _do_ anything substantial?

Hibiya openly frowns at his phone, glaring softly at the clock ticking down until homeroom. While learning more about the blond deviant would be helpful as his brother dated the lech's twin, he truly just wanted to rule him out already so that he could devote more time to his blond bombshell. Not many of the students that Hibiya has passed by bleach their hair or match Songbird's physique, but the brunet has been taking notes on the frequent locations of the extraordinarily rare few that have. If Linda was correct that the blond is probably a student in his school, then all Hibiya has to do is find him. Glancing at a blond first year that passes him by in the hall, Hibiya pauses before mentally ruling him out. Songbird claimed to be eighteen, so at most he's a third year and at least a second year.

As Hibiya makes his way to his homeroom, he scrolls through his meager notes. Delic's frequent locations, according to his peers, were; the roof or the outside bleachers, both of which where he will occasionally smoke and nap in the sun, the music room and wherever else the school piano may have been relocated to, the snack machines, and the math club room. Though, the club president aggressively detested the blond, claiming how difficult it was to get the blond to actually show up and spewing how unfair it was that the slacker was such a natural genius.

 _Natural genius,_ Hibiya had wanted to snort. While he could agree that it was unfair, that was simply how the world worked. It's not much of a surprise that Delic shared something with his twin. Tsukishima is their top student for the sciences. Hachimenroppi in close second, with his list of absences and tardies cutting his grade down. It's no wonder, now, why the blond has the easiest time reading music sheets among their class.

 _Songbird's passion is music,_ Hibiya can hear Linda's phantom voice saying in his head like his conscious. His kwami is nestled in his front pocket and likely napping, so it's mildly concerning how the insect has worked his consistent protests into Hibiya's head. Hibiya glares harder at his notes before openly choking, lightly startling a student nearby.

 _Freakishly tall_ , Tsuppari had said about the blond.

 _And I consistently hit my six foot head on door frames and low-hanging fans_ , Songbird had joked back one night to calm him down.

Hibiya's fingers grip his cellphone tighter. That-! That _cretin_ met the right height and physique! There was no way he can accept this, he has to cross out that blond boar as soon as possible! By this logic, even Tsukishima met the requirement, but Hibiya has just as much of a hard time believing him as a viable candidate.

"Hibiya," Linda whispers, but the brunet is too lost in his own thoughts to hear the kwami. Lifting his head out of the pocket, Linda rolls his eyes at the brunet before rearing back.

" _Linda!_ " Hibiya shouts through gritted teeth, his body lurching back to escape the sharp sting.

"You're gonna be poked with something a lot bigger than my stinger when you finally find Mister Perfect." Hibiya sputters, shielding some of his shameful expression behind his phone. "Akuma," the kwami shrugs, "you know the drill."

The brunet's eyes light up. The prospect of following the blond after their battle enters Hibiya's mind only to be immediately dismissed. Following Songbird would be too invasive, even despite Hibiya's current goal. Hibiya's breaking Songbird's trust one way or another, but he's not going to do more besides present himself as a romantic candidate when he gains the right information. Besides, the blond apparently _knows_ him, so Hibiya desperately needs to know the name of the man he's kissed and dreams about at night. He needs to know which methods of wooing will work, as flirting is not his strong suit. Hachimenroppi-nii goes with Tsukishima to his favored bookstores, hopefully his own romance will be so easy.

"Which direction is it in?"

"You kinda look familiar," Songbird tosses at the large akuma as the floor rumbles with its steps. Fleeing students momentarily freeze as they're rocked, some screaming in response. The floor begins splitting down the hallway as the akuma continues to slowly advance towards the blond, wood and tile snapping in half and jutting up dangerously. The blond's head snaps towards the students, making sure that their exit is still secure, when he spots Hibiya arriving.

"This guy looks familiar to you too, right?" He asks, jerking a thumb towards the akumatized student.

"Wakatsuchi?" Hibiya lightly questions aloud, his eyes narrowing on the now brightly colored teen.

"That's _not_ my name anymore!" The akuma shouts while Songbird shakes his head with a shrug. "Nope, doesn't ring a bell."

"Earthquaker," the brunet says to his partner as he watches him carefully.

"Lame," Songbird replies, unamused, but his momentary pout is quickly refitting into a frown. "Wait," he calls, spinning his annoyed gaze back on the large akuma, "you're the asshole that made me miss my favorite class!"

The blond appears to be back to his usual self, though Hibiya is unsure if he should feel relief or worry. Songbird seems happy enough, but he'll catch the blond before he flies away after the fight to make sure of his true feelings.

Songbird reaches behind his cape to retrieve his bow, aiming at the akumatized student without hesitation. The akuma is dreadfully slow as it stomps forward, but it's hefty strength shaking, rocking, and destroying the floor as it approaches makes up for its weakness in spades. Songbird's aim is unsteadied with each quake, and he scowls with a sigh. Standing in the middle of the hallway, there's no backdrop to pin the akuma against either.

"Got a plan? I don't have a clear shot."

Hibiya shakes his head hastily, keeping his wobbling rapier poised before his person. "We should lure him outside and gain the high ground," he murmurs to his partner.

With a nod, the blond retracts his bow as Hibiya sheaths his weapon. Hibiya spins on his heels to run, expecting his partner to shoot off with him at his side. However, the blond forks into his lane as he lags behind Hibiya. Hibiya immediately presumes that Songbird is just acting protectively, and he won't deny enjoying the act, but then the blond is at his back, his hands curling under Hibiya's body as he scoops the brunet up.

Hibiya swallows a squeak as Songbird situates him in his arms. Hibiya wraps his arms around the blond's neck as his hands secure under his knees and against his back. Songbird practically flies when he runs, his posture leaning forward to cut through the wind like a knife through warm butter. Hibiya's weight is _nothing_ to the blond and he momentarily forgets about the akuma on their tail to fully enjoy the position he's in. The wind whips against Hibiya's face as he gazes over his crush's shoulder, nuzzling against his suit despite the jostling from his running, at the akuma desperately trying to keep up.

"Window," Songbird is suddenly saying and Hibiya has to pull away from his warm shoulder to look in his eyes as he asks, "What?"

Unfortunately, there's not enough time to answer back as they charge down the empty hallway. Songbird's hand leaves Hibiya's back to push his head back against his shoulder. The brunet blushes, unsure about the gesture until he feels the blond jump, once then twice, and sees the stairwell feet below them before they crash into solid glass.

Hibiya shrieks as his ears are assaulted with the uproarious noise of shattering glass and he tries to shield his face in the blond's shoulder. The wind whipping his hair changes direction as they fall with shards of glittering glass. They hit the ground like a rock, Hibiya can hear the concrete under Songbird's feet crack with their weight and force, but somehow the blond keeps him from jostling too harshly as his feet stabilize from the landing.

"Where do you wanna be?" The blond asks as Hibiya hesitantly pulls his head away from his shoulder, waiting until he's certain that there's no more glass descending upon them.

Songbird's eyes shimmer with exhilaration in the morning light as he waits for an answer, patiently watching the brunet still in his hold. Hibiya's heart stutters and a soft blush skirts under his black mask. The scene is practically out of his dreams and Hibiya almost can't believe it. He so desperately wants to kiss the blond while he's still secure in his strong arms, but he just as desperately doesn't want to mess anything up.

"With you," flies from his traitorous mouth before he can catch it on his tongue.

In response, Songbird smiles, small and minute, but it's enough to choke the brunet's heart again. "Okay."

Tsukishima has been scouring the crowd at the front gates since the warning bell began. Roppi would never mingle in the crowd, be it in an emergency or not, but Tsuki has looked everywhere else for the brunet. There's no way that he didn't hear the bell, but he has to still be inside. He wouldn't've skipped school without telling Tsukishima, and they were barely apart ten minutes before the akuma alarm began blaring!

A loud crash near the gymnasium cues shrieks of surprise and interest from the crowd, many pulling out their phones to capture what they can see of the superhero duo leaping from the now broken wide windows of the stairwell. The ground continues to shake intermediately, sluggishly following the duo as they sprint off. The akuma is unable to hide its location without remaining perfectly still and, with its feverish pursual, it's never going to.

Tsukishima glances through the meager wall of teachers before the double doors. There's no way that they'd know if a student hasn't evacuated by now and there's nothing they can do against an akuma anyway.

 _To hell with this,_ the blond thinks, suspiciously sounding like his father, and sprints to the doors, yanking one open and off of its hinges before two of the teachers can spin around and call for him to return.

"Hey, Delili," Psyche chirps happily in the blond's mind, his voice peaking with curiosity, "why didn't you use your bow before?"

"What do you mean?" He replies back, his eyes darting off to the side so Hornet doesn't mistake the question directed at himself. Hornet spares him a short glance, keeping watch at the gymnasium roof's edge for the akuma to finally emerge from the school building. "I didn't have a shot for anything but the akuma himself."

"Exactly!" Psyche cheers, as if he's not advocating for Delic to shoot a fellow student with a very sharp magical arrow. "Your Cupid's Arrow would've got him for sure!"

"My what now," the blond deadpans. If that's really what Psyche named his arrows then he might have to rethink his name, but, at this point, he actually enjoys being called his alter-ego's name.

Psyche harrumphs loudly, and Delic can practically see the bird kwami's feathers ruffle up in his mind's eye. "You never listen to anything I say!"

"That's because you talk too much, idiot!" Hornet gazes at him again, questioningly and hesitantly, as he shouts back at thin air.

"Never-mind!" Psyche huffs. "Just go up to it and punch it like the brute you are!"

"Don't get pissy with me! I'll eat your candy!"

Psyche gasps with fright as Hornet clears his throat. "Kwami issues?" He asks, a single palm spread open towards the blond.

"Don't be mean to me!" Psyche whines childishly. "It's not _my fault_ that you're so strong and don't need my help!"

"Whaddaya mean _your help_?!" Delic yells into the sky from atop the roof, his arms fully extended with exasperation.

"Songbird," Hornet tries to interject, but the blond is still fussing with his kwami.

"How the hell is a small rat with wings gonna help me fight _that_?!"

Psyche gasps again, this time with offense. Did he really have to remind his chosen that he was a god?

" _Songbird,_ " the brunet repeats, his voice strict and demanding. The other man jerks still, his arms snapping back to lay limp by his sides. "The akuma is close to the windows," Hornet informs.

"Sorry," the blond quietly apologizes back.

Shaking his head dismissively, Delic's partner turns away from the edge of the roof to face him fully. "No, I'm… happy to see your spirits back. I was concerned about you the other day."

Delic watches the way Hornet's eyes flutter shyly as he speaks, the way his fingers fidget with the handle of his rapier despite his posture trying to exude poised determination. His chest suddenly fills with warmth, a wide but apologetic smile blooming across his face.

"I'm really sorry about that too. I guess… personal problems got the better of me for a bit, but I'll be fine."

Hornet's expression falls as his eyes cease their demure fluttering to focus on him intently. "Would you care to meet up after school to privately converse?"

Delic blinks at that, swallowing down the urge to snort at the brunet's formal word choice. The corner of his lip twitches, curling with fond amusement. "You don't have many friends, do you?"

Hornet pouts, his arms crossing in front of his chest defensively. "Excuse me?"

"Don't worry so much about me," Delic says, seriously and evenly despite his humored smile. The brunet opens his mouth to refute him, only urging him to joke first. "I'm a bad influence, don't you know, Queen Bee?"

"Don't be an ass." Hornet's strongly worded admonishment causes the blond's jaw to fall open. "Of course I'm going to worry about you, you're my favorite person and my partner."

Delic's amusement dies a quick, painful death. His expression shatters, his eyes widening and his lips setting into a straight line as his mouth closes. The warmth in his chest has only heated up, a sudden fluid feeling filling his torso and thickening viscously. He has no response for the brunet, his words abandoning him and lacking a pre-written script at the ready.

Avoiding Hornet's fervent eyes, his gaze darts back to the wide, broken window. The akuma is getting closer to the stairwell, albeit slowly. Once they leap from the open window and onto the school grounds, he'll fire from their perch on the opposing roof and pin them to the building for deevilizing.

Hornet visibly hesitates, concern filling him as the blond's personality and posture shifts. Taking careful steps towards his partner, the brunet opens his mouth to speak as the pink film over the blond's eyes glows softly. Circles are forming from around the edges of the eye holes in his white mask, the shapes narrowing in and over the blond's pupils. Hornet swallows his worries for the greater issue at hand, his attention snapping to the stairwell and at what cued the blond to scope in.

"A civilian?" The brunet gasps softly as someone climbs the steps, towards what they absolutely have to realize is right on the akuma's course. The miraculous duo can feel the earth shaking from the gymnasium roof, surely that fool can feel it when the cause is barely a few feet away.

" _Tsukishima?_ " Delic breathes, his heart falling into his stomach as the warmth vanishes from his chest. Monstrous strength or not, his twin didn't have a magical suit that would minimize the damage dealt to his body if struck by the akuma. Their family isn't shy to hospital visits, but that didn't mean they looked for dangerous situations to be hurt! What the hell is his brother thinking?!

Delic's answer is instantaneously appearing in his mind and his bow is in his hand before he realizes he's sent the signals from his brain to retrieve it from his back. Hornet tightly grips the roof's meager railing as Delic aims, his gasp of surprise gone unnoticed by the focused blond.

The akuma victim comes to a complete stop before the stairwell as they notice someone trying to reach their floor instead of fleeing the building. Their slow gait is halted easily and they poise themselves with anticipation as they wait to see what kind of fool would dare step closer to them.

" _You,_ " the akuma foully hisses as Tsukishima climbs the remaining steps to the top floor and comes into full view.

"Wakatsuchi?" The blond's eyes widen before quickly narrowing, matching the akumatized bully. "You're terrorizing the school _again_?"

"That's not my name anymore!" The akumatized student loudly objects, swinging their large fist out and hitting the nearby wall, cracking and crumbling some of the plaster. "But you'll learn," they threaten, their smile predatorial.

Tsukishima frowns openly, his grit teeth hidden behind his closed lips. He doesn't know much about akumas, the subject being notoriously difficult to gain information on, but from what he does know, akumas are only partially their original selves. The real Wakatsuchi is probably under all of that anger and brightly colored spandex, not that Tsuki is horribly concerned about the young man in the least. Akumatized or not, the other man was just a _bully_ by nature.

"Where's Hachimenroppi?" Tsukishima demands, the lens of his glasses keeping his fierce gaze from piercing into the other man.

Wakatsuchi startles slightly, his threatening facade momentarily crumbling before patchily returning. "I have no idea where your bit-"

" _Then move,_ " the blond interrupts furiously, his growl echoing down the empty halls like the ring of gunfire. The akumatized student's expression falters, their eyes widening with uncertainty as their confidence dwindles and Tsukishima begins walking forward, entirely unperturbed.

Tsukishima's disposition doesn't change as he comes closer to Wakatsuchi, remaining dismissive and unafraid of the hulking brunet dwarfing his size. The blond's height is now nothing in comparison to the akumatized young man, the top of his head a mere fraction from bumping the ceiling.

Wakatsuchi's anger reignites itself as Tsuki approaches to squeeze past his width, his fingers curling and his fist rising up to strike down. Tsukishima's eyes snap to the akuma's movement as a piercing caw shrieks from the broken open window in time with a rush of wind. The blond's hands jerk up to catch the akuma's fist, but their fist freezes in the air before they've connected. Tsuki releases a breath as the slicing air quiets with a _thunk_ and an arrow shaft vibrates with remnants of force as it juts out from the akuma victim's chest.

Tsukishima remains still, awaiting something to change, when Wakatsuchi suddenly cries out with pain. The akumatized student's face glows, a bright red outline of a bird with outstretched wings appearing like a neon sign across his face and shifting. The image flickers, its color fading and brightening rapidly. The shaking outline fights itself as Wakatsuchi screams again, the color bouncing back and forth between a bright burgundy red and a neon magenta. Tsukishima's posture relaxes and he stares with fascinated concern as the young man curls in on himself, his hands now clutching his head.

" _No- Get out!_ " Wakatsuchi grinds out, his blunt nails digging into his scalp.

Another projectile flies close, striking the sitting crow on the window ledge. The creature cries out as it falls several stories to the floor, inky black bubbles quickly boiling free from its body. The bird jolts up after a millisecond, its head darting around and wings flapping with panic and confusion. As the crow lifts up and soars to the open window, the arrow in Wakatsuchi chest bursts with color. The heart shaped fletchings glow bright pink and emit smaller copies of the shape, the pink wisps floating in the air for a brief moment before vanishing. The shaking and shifting outline finally rests, settling into the image of two bubblegum pink outstretched wings across the akuma's face.

Wakatsuchi sluggishly snaps upright, his hands limply falling to his sides as the outline continues its steady glow. "The marker in my pocket," he husks quietly.

Tsukishima's eyebrow is ticking with confusion when something heavy falls into the stairwell behind them, glass crunching noisily as something hastily climbs the stairs. Relief eases his rising tension as he recognizes the superhero duo briskly approaching their location. With the akuma taken care of, he can go find Roppi safely.

"The marker is-"

"No, I heard you the first time, thanks." Songbird says, light annoyance muffled in his tone as he soothingly rubs his right ear.

Hornet remains behind the blond's back, hesitant to approach the akuma despite their sudden compliance. His eyes shine with wonder as they focus on the arrow jutting out of the akuma, its fletching still spitting petite, pink hearts.

"You okay?" The blond hero asks as he steps closer to the foe and Tsukishima. "Heiwajima or not, you shouldn't run up to akumas."

Tsukishima's eyebrows pinch, his lips an even line. He's not going to deny that he's made a dangerous decision, nor ask how the hero knows his family. "I have to find my boyfriend, he didn't evacuate with everyone else. I have to make sure that he didn't get hurt in the earthquakes."

Hornet opens his mouth to inform the blond about his restoring powers, but Tsukishima is already walking off without another word. The corner of Songbird's lip twitches into a smirk and he salutes the retreating blond with two fingers before turning to the akuma.

"So, that marker?" He asks the charmed akuma with an open, outstretched hand.

Wakatsuchi reaches into his pocket, retrieving the black marker holding his akuma. As he places it into Songbird's palm, both of his hands clasp the blond's hand, tugging it forward to bow and kiss affectionately. Hornet's jaw drops as Songbird yanks his hand free with a suppressed look of disgust.

"Psyche, what the fuck," he mutters under his breath with an awkward smile. The blond's kwami must be speaking to him, as his face twists further and his thumb hastily snaps the marker in two. Hornet quickly closes his jaw to slice the fleeing crow before it makes its way to the window. The akumatized student engulfs in boiling black bubbles as the blond turns away to address his kwami.

"Yeah, it was easy," Songbird groans as the inky bubbles release Wakatsuchi back to his regularly sized self, "but I don't want akumas hitting on me."

"My love!" The young man squeals, dropping to his knees before the blond as the miraculous duo snap their attentions back to him. Wakatsuchi's eyes glow a steady neon pink, the bright outline of a pair of wings still stretched across his face. His hands clasp together in prayer, his arms framing the arrow sticking out of his chest.

Hornet sputters, his rapier clinking loudly as his hand jerks as he sheathes it. Songbird's eyes widen uncomfortably and he quickly reaches forward to snap the shaft in two, causing it to disintegrate into an evaporating pink fog. The bird hero's earrings flash and beep in rapid succession, one pair of the feathers on the winged emblem disappearing, as Wakatsuchi comes to.

"What, where-" The young man lets out an embarrassing shriek as he realizes that he's on his knees before another man. "What'd you do to me?!" Wakatsuchi accuses while throwing a venomous glare at the hero.

Songbird openly pouts, crossing his arms over chest like an insulted maiden. "You'd be so lucky, now get lost."

Hachimenroppi storms out of the bathroom, throwing open the door with enough force to cause its hinges to cry out. His furious gaze darts down each hallway before running towards the biology room with an open scowl. His birds last spotted the blond with the heroes, but, knowing Tsukishima, he wouldn't idly wait with them when Roppi is elsewhere and supposedly in danger.

Tsukishima turns to the opened doorway as Roppi stomps into view. "You idiot," the brunet begins angrily, "what're you-" Hachimenroppi hastily swallows his words as Tsuki gathers him into an embrace.

"Thank goodness." Tsuki husks warm air across the brunet's ear as he nuzzles his head alongside of Roppi's. "I was so worried, Hachi."

Hachimenroppi's anger suffocates somewhere between his throat and his stomach as the blond's arms wrap around him further, pressing their chests together. His fingers twitch, but he won't deny them, and he fits his fingers against Tsuki's shoulder blades as he returns the embrace.

"Idiot," the brunet sighs against Tsuki's school jacket. "I can take care of myself." Tsukishima doesn't deny it and only furthers his hug by rubbing Roppi's back with his hands.

"That's true, but it won't stop me." Tsukishima admits softly. "I love you, Hachi."

Hachimenroppi's face flames up and he buries his head against Tsuki's chest. "I love you too, idiot." He says, muffled by the blond's school jacket. Tsukishima squeezes him tighter and closer as he nuzzles his smile into the brunet's hair, and Roppi allows himself to melt further into the embrace as a golden glow races around them.


	18. Takaashigani (Part Three)

Hibiya's heart is beating faster than a racing horse, his face flushed a wine red. He doesn't realize that he's still in the very same spot that Songbird's left him until Linda shouts through his mind, reminding him of his withering time limit until his de-transformation. Shaken back, Hibiya ducks into an empty classroom in time for his suit to dematerialize back into his civilian clothes. He sighs dreamily as he leans back against the closed classroom door and lifts his palms to feel the warm blush across his cheeks. Buzzing to rest in the brunet's jacket pocket, Linda sighs for an entirely different reason.

"You teenagers," the kwami bemoans. "Always so worked up over the slightest touch."

While Hibiya was growing more comfortable with Songbird scooping him up, Linda was grossly under-exaggerating. The blond hadn't simply brushed Hibiya's side or patted his shoulder in celebration of their victory, he had slung his entire arm around Hibiya's shoulders, partially embracing the brunet against his chest! It was a purely friendly and innocent gesture, but Hibiya doesn't care. He had gotten to soak up more of his crush's warmth and smell that saccharine, artificial strawberry shampoo of his yet again.

Hibiya couldn't be higher on cloud nine.

Hibiya couldn't have a more shameful problem to deal with in his pants right now.

Rubbing his fingers along his heated cheeks a final time, Hibiya fixes his posture and ruffled jacket before making his way to the nearest men's bathroom with the intention to splash cold water on his face. Fellow students are still climbing the stairs as he leaves the classroom, giving Hibiya enough time to dart to the bathroom before anyone can spot his tenting pants. As the door swings open with a creak, something within the bathroom makes a mad rustle. Hibiya's hesitating foot is barely a step inside the restroom when two voices simultaneously growl at him.

" _Get the hell out!_ "

"H-Hachimen-nii?" Hibiya flusters in the door-frame, his face heating further with embarrassment as his gaze is frozen in shock on the entangled duo. "T-Tsuk-"

" _Leave, you idiot!_ "

"Y-Yes!" Hibiya jerkily backs up, the bathroom door swinging closed behind him as a loud click quickly follows. He furiously shakes his head as he dumbly stands in front of the door, trying to dislodge the image of his older brother and his boyfriend against the wall, clothes in varying states of undress. How could they do such a thing in a public bathroom?! Don't they realize how disgusting that is?! Hibiya yips as a moan emits from the bathroom, cueing him to back away from the door and into someone else's space.

"Woah there," a gentle voice cautions while a hand catches his shoulder.

Hibiya's overheated head snaps to the young man touching him, a frown instantly slicing through his embarrassment as he recognizes the blond. Hibiya jerks his shoulder from Delic's weak grasp. "Do not touch me," he manages easily, biting back the urge to call the other man's hands disgusting.

"Sorry," Delic sighs deflatedly as his hand retracts to his side. "Have you seen my brother?"

"Yes, far too much of him." Hibiya retorts, wishing to scrub the images from his brain. At the very least, his problem has subsided.

Delic's head cocks with confusion, ready to ask for clarification when the bathroom releases another muffled moan. Hibiya's filled with acute horror as Delic's eyes light up and he hastily leans against the door. Completely unashamed, he pounds his fist against the wood and shouts, "Do you guys need anything? Lube, condoms?"

There's a heavy bang followed by cracking and crushed porcelain clattering to the floor. Delic backs up quickly, his hands rising up in surrender in case the door flies open. " _Go home, Delic._ " Tsukishima growls from the other side, his affectionate suffix absent.

"It's not even lunch yet," the blond casually reminds his twin.

There's another cacophonous noise as Tsukishima's fist assuredly meets the bathroom wall again. " _Leave!_ "

A chill runs up Hibiya's spine as the demand is spat. Delic, however, offers the door a weak shrug before fixing his school bag and walking off to his classroom without a second word to the brunet. Hibiya blinks curiously at the blond's departing back, Hachimenroppi's earlier declaration sitting alongside of his day's notes in his brain.

"In love with me," Hibiya quietly scoffs. "Preposterous."

* * *

Delic takes a large breath of fresh air as he exits onto the roof. Stretching out his arms, he walks around the enclosed stairwell to sit against the wall opposite of the door. Psyche hops about his shoulder as Delic rummages through his schoolbag, poorly hiding his spying eyes.

Delic's eyebrow ticks as his hand comes up empty and he turns to the pudgy bird on his right. "Did you steal my cigarettes?"

Psyche huffs immediately, splaying a wing over his chest. "Me? The mere rat with wings?"

Delic immaturely sticks his tongue out at the kwami and Psyche instantly reciprocates, looking more like the image of an intensely squawking pigeon than that of a child.

"Must've been dad or Tsuki again." Delic says, exhaling a soft chuckle and gently knocking his head back against the wall. With a sigh, he rubs his eyes and curls his propped knees in closer to his chest. He had hoped for a cigarette to calm him down some, but it's probably for the best that they're missing.

"What's wrong, Delili?" Psyche coos, nudging his silky head against the blond's neck.

Though the question is simple and open for anything, Delic doesn't know where to even start. His insides feel like an absolute, conflicted mess. Tarry and globby with sadness and rejection yet again, but also warm and gooey with disturbing satisfaction. Lightly growling, he rakes his fingers down his face. "I'm feeling too much and I fucking hate it," Delic whines.

"Too much?" Psyche repeats, urging the blond to elaborate.

"Well," he begins, splaying a hand out as his elbow rests on his knee, "Hibiya still looks at me like I'm carrying the bubonic plague around." Copying the position of his right hand, Delic splays his left hand out and waves it dismissively. "And Hornet had to go and say… _that!_ "

Psyche watches the blush creep onto his chosen's face and fails to rein himself in in time. "Aw, Delili! You're so cute!"

"Hah?" The blond spits to hide his sputter, his glare equally weak. "What's so cute about me?"

"Are you fishing?' Psyche jokes lightly as he hops down the blond's arm to perch on the underside of his elbow.

"Shaddup," Delic complains, waving his arm to dislodge the bird kwami. Psyche flaps his wings with an amused huff, floating in the air before his chosen. "Let's just talk about something else!"

"No way!" Psyche chirps as he zips out of reach, urging Delic up and into action as he tries to catch the white and pink bird. "Your partner called you his favorite!"

Delic's awkwardly forced frown does nothing to hide his faint blush as he shakes his fist at the kwami in the sky. "You rat with wings!"

* * *

"I'm _so sorry_ , Hachi."

"Stop apologizing already, you barely broke the flesh." Hachimenroppi gazes up from his fingers as they button his shirt, his lip twitching into a meager frown as he notices the ashamed look in his boyfriend's eyes.

"I like it when you're rough with me," he admits despite his red face. "Stop thinking that you've done something that I didn't want."

Tsukishima flushes further, his equally red face reheating, but he keeps his gaze locked to the broken bits of tile and plaster on the floor. "But what if I hurt you?" He asks quietly.

"That's what I just said that I wanted, isn't it?" Roppi retorts softly.

"But-"

"I'd tell you," the brunet quickly interrupts. His shirt back on, Roppi steps into Tsukishima's space to cup his jaw and raise the blond's gaze onto himself "If it was ever too much. So stop worrying already." Leaning closer to Tsuki, Roppi presses their lips together. He watches and waits until his boyfriend's eyes flutter closed to follow, humming pleasantly when the blond's arms twine around his hips and pull him closer. The duo part after a peaceful minute and Tsukishima slumps down slightly to press their foreheads together.

Roppi licks his lips, elongating the motion when the blond's eyes snap to his tongue. "Your fly's still undone."

Tsukishima yips embarrassingly as his back jerks straight, accidentally shoving the brunet back a step with his chest. His hands scramble away from Hachimenroppi to fix his zipper, his fingers shaking far too much for someone still in orgasmic bliss.

Roppi wants to laugh, and does, the soft raspy laugh starting a melting heat in Tsuki's chest. Tsukishima watches the brunet's eyes close with the airy exhale, wanting to kiss the other man again and again with every beat of his heart. Hachimenroppi is truly beautiful when he smiles his petite, fragile smile and Tsukishima never wants to stop looking at him when he does. Even as the bell rings and the brunet's smile fades back into a neutral line to glance at his phone's clock, Tsuki doesn't want to stop his reverent staring.

"Walk with me to biology?" Roppi asks while shrugging his jacket back on.

"Biology?" The blond suddenly blinks owlishly. "Oh no, did we skip second period?!"

* * *

Delic debates skipping his third period to stay on the roof and relax as the bell begins to ring. It's only AP Math, so he can afford to miss it, but it'd disappoint his dad if he missed anymore than he already does due to the akuma attacks. Delic's stomach shifts as he stands up to stretch and his cheeks begin to flush again as his mind jumps from his parent to his partner. While he had agreed to meet up with Hornet after school, Delic's stomach still swirls with trepidation.

"Hey, Delili," Psyche coos, "buy me some candy on the way? I need to recharge."

"Yeah, sure," he shrugs, "but I want you to tell me more about all this miraculous shit later, got it?"

Psyche salutes with an eager flap of his wings, darting to nest in the blond's schoolbag.

* * *

" _Good lord,_ " Hibiya exhales as he tries not to impolitely stare at his sibling.

Roppi's eyes lazily roll as he blandly replies, "Oh, shut up."

The older brunet has been getting open stares at the bite mark on his neck since third period and it's been both mildly annoying and pride inducing. Thanks to Delic's big, gaping mouth and that waste of space, Wakatsuchi, most of the school knew about him and Tsukishima. Whispering has followed Roppi's back all day, courtesy of his fellow classmates' gossiping lips, but it just hasn't grated his nerves as it used to.

"Are you alright?" Hibiya implores as he places his lunch alongside of Roppi's.

"Better than," Roppi murmurs while dragging his eyes to his younger sibling's.

Hibiya's face blossoms in an instant and he moves jerkily, yanking his chair out harder than he originally intended. Its legs noisily scrape across the floor, snapping several eyes to them. Hibiya hastily sits, keeping his eyes trained to his meal as he moves to begin eating.

Once he's positive that the attention has left them, Hibiya leans closer to Roppi to harshly whisper; "Don't you realize how much bacteria there is in a public bathroom?"

Roppi's nose crinkles as his eyebrows knit. "I wasn't licking the toilet bowl."

Hibiya's face twists with nauseous disgust at the mere suggestion, his fingers moving away from his utensils on his tray on their own volition.

Roppi breaks from opening his thermos of coffee to mischievously sneer at his sibling. "I wasn't even allowed to lick what I really wanted to."

Hibiya's thankful that he wasn't attempting to eat or drink anything as he chokes on air so forcefully that his chair scoots back an inch. His traitorous brain re-assaults him with images of the duo in the act and Hibiya finds himself wanting to do nothing more than to scream. Furiously shaking his head, Hibiya slaps his hands over his ears and painfully glares at his brother.

"You promised that you wouldn't tease me as such!" He cries.

Hachimenroppi sips his hot beverage savoringly, eying his ridiculous sibling all the while. "That's what's stressing you out, right?" Roppi asks, piquing Hibiya's curiosity as he hesitantly lowers his hands. "It's not like I didn't notice you squirreling lotion away in your room."

Hibiya flushes red again, his lips parting to minutely gape with horror before his hands slap onto his face to hide his exposed shame.

Roppi continues eating his lunch as Hibiya stays frozen, realizing halfway through his curry bun that it really is a point of shame for the younger brunet. "Calm down," Roppi groans, dropping his food to his tray in favor of yanking his brother's hands away from his face.

"I cannot!" Hibiya argues. His eyes begin to tear at the edges as he shakes his head. "Sex is just so _dirty_ and _unbecoming_ and _it's all I can think about_ _as of late_ _!_ "

"So is gardening," Roppi raises reasonably midway, "but you have, what, twenty plants in your room?" Roppi had been surprised when the neat-freak of the family started to bring in bags of dirt and the required tools for the hobby, but Hibiya had actually kept up with it by the looks of his room. Despite his current behavior, Roppi's little brother had grown up some without him realizing.

"But, I-"

"Listen," Hachimenroppi interrupts flatly, "you piss and shit like the rest of us, right?"

Hibiya guffaws at his older brother's coarse language, but grimaces and nods regardless.

"Sex isn't really any different from any other bodily function." Roppi shrugs one shoulder, keeping his calm and mildly bored gaze on his sibling.

Hibiya's fingers fidget against one another, his eyes downcasting demurely and his shoulders hunching in protectively. Inhaling deeply, he quietly inches closer to Roppi to whisper. "What if there's… possibly more to what I-I'm feeling?" With his admittance to someone other than Linda, Hibiya's face goes redder than a stoked fire.

Hachimenroppi's gaze narrows immediately, his burgundy eyes swimming with suspicion. _You,_ he wants to squawk questioningly, but, after his own crush on Tsukishima, it's no surprise that Hibiya would have his own crush eventually. " _Who_?" Roppi demands to know.

Hibiya's blush spreads further across his face, his fidgeting fingers jerkily prodding and rubbing one another. "You mustn't laugh at me if I say."

Roppi's eyes narrow further on his younger sibling. "I'm not making that promise."

Hibiya huffs with a pinch of his lips. Acquiescing anyway, he leans back to retrieve his phone from his pocket and opens the device to his background image. It's the only decent quality snapshot of the blond hero after an encounter, the taker managing to capture his polite smile and wave goodbye. Hibiya sighs at the image, his warm cheeks momentarily boiling his brain. Roppi's lip twitches downward with light disgust at the noise before his lovestruck brother finally passes his phone over.

As Hibiya expected, Roppi laughs, the airy expulsion of breath almost fully morphing into a wheeze as the younger brunet's face falls. Roppi holds Hibiya's phone back out for him, his glare traded for a look of puzzled amusement. "Are you trying to prank me?"

Hibiya bites his bottom lip and shakes his head in response, his chest welling with some shame. Falling for a man that runs around in spandex _is_ fairly ridiculous, but Hibiya himself does the same.

Hachimenroppi clicks his tongue as he quickly realizes the error in his behavior. "There are worse people to have crushes on." He says softly while gesturing the phone forward for Hibiya to take. "I always figured you'd be into the heroic type."

"It's not..." Hibiya hesitates, his eyes returning to stare down at his fingers as he accepts the device. "... _just_ a hero-crush."

"What, did he save you or something?" Roppi casually asks, though he's already aware of the answer. In hindsight, it makes all the more sense for Hibiya to be into his assumed enemy.

"Valiantly," Hibiya replies, blushing as he recalls the memories.

Hachimenroppi rolls his eyes fondly. "God, you're such a princess."

Hibiya flusters with mild and playful offense as Roppi continues. "Do you plan on acting on it?"

"If I'm able to," Hibiya says smoothly. Holding his tongue back, Hibiya fully realizes that he cannot talk in depth about his plans with his older brother without revealing himself.

Roppi nods lamely. Recent complexities non-withstanding, Hibiya still isn't the type to throw himself into danger for a thrill. "What's so great about him anyway?" He presses, picking his food back up to eat while they converse.

Hibiya sighs dreamily, his gaze drifting into the empty air. Hachimenroppi would bet that even the airhead jocks a few tables over can see the smitten glaze over Hibiya's eyes. "What isn't?" Hibiya exhales.

" _Eugh_ ," Roppi gags aloud, his lips curling up. "Never-mind. Don't tell me."

"He's just so-"

"Shut up," the older brunet interrupts flatly before taking a large bite of his forgotten curry bun.

Hibiya's face falls as he turns back to his brother. "But Hachimen-nii-"

Roppi hurriedly chews so he can butt in before Hibiya begins rambling on about his knight in shining armor. " _One thing;_ name _just one_ thing about him."

Hibiya stills, his gaze slowly drifting from Roppi to his food as his fingers fidget with one another under the table once again. His cheeks warm with a pink hue as he thinks over the qualities of his crush in effort to narrow them down to his best.

After two minutes of a quiet internal struggle, Hibiya's fingers part from one another to ball on either side of his lap. His lips curl crookedly and his face inflames hotter. "His infuriatingly reckless, valiant heart," Hibiya lightly spits.

Songbird's habit of running headfirst into danger just to act as a first responder and to assist the civilians was wholly expected of a hero, but it was assuredly going to cause Hibiya to have an attack of some sort in the future. Songbird couldn't care less about his own well-being as long as a civilian or his partner were in danger, and this aspect of the blond has Hibiya torn the most. Songbird was likely as mindlessly heroic out of his suit as he was inside of it and all that Hibiya can hope for once he finds the real blond is that he doesn't regularly run into burning buildings. He was so brave, but so utterly selfless.

Hachimenroppi startles, freezing mid-chew to openly stare at his brother. Hibiya's expression relaxes after his admittance, his hands moving to continue eating as he's left out of Roppi's internal panic. Their sibling resemblance was uncanny, but Hachimenroppi was never too concerned about it until this very second. Hibiya was younger and still shorter, but this, however, made it easier for Roppi to look at the other brunet's former expression as if he were looking through a portal into the past. Hachimenroppi's heart squeezes as he struggles not to imagine his first year self suspiciously peeking around a library bookshelf at Tsukishima.

"Try not to call him names," Roppi's tongue flops out without his permission.

Hibiya's eyebrows knit as his attention is drawn back to his brother. "Why on earth would I do such a thing?"

Roppi's nose crinkles as he continues, deciding to follow up on his unintentional advice. "Because you're just as stupid as I was at your age and probably as stupid as father was."

"What does _father_ have to do with this?" Hibiya asks wondrously, as if Roppi were leading to something ludicrous.

" _Everything,_ " Hachimenroppi hisses foully before stuffing the remainder of his curry bun into his mouth.

* * *

"Looks like there was another attack at your kids' school again, Shizuo." Tom casually says around a puff of his cigarette. Lazily leaning against a recycling bin, the deadlocked man finishes his coffee while skimming the news on his phone.

"Yeah?" Shizuo encourages from his seat on the curb. Tapping the ash on the end of his cigarette into an envelope, he partially twists in place to glance back at his coworker as he reads the story.

"Still no causalities," Tom rewords as he reads. "Looks like the police are still ignoring them." He shrugs apathetically. Aside from a few instances of vigilante justice, Tokyo's heroes just took care of the akuma attacks. Tom, like most residents, couldn't care less that the police were putting their valuable time elsewhere. The damage would revert back without fail and things would go on as if nothing happened.

"Same old, same old," Tom says breezily. "Ready to get back to work?"

"Ah, yeah." Shizuo nods, snuffing out the end of his cigarette on the curb before standing back up. "I want to try to be home for dinner tonight."

Tom smiles as he tosses his empty coffee cup into the bin. "I can get behind that plan."

* * *

 _Any pics or vids from today's akuma?_ A post pleas.

 _There's nothing._ One reply reads.

 _Just some of SB and H flying around._ Another offers, links included.

 _Boo! How boring! Where's the action?!_

 _Who cares? Look at how cute they are together!_

 _Ugh, can't you shippers stick to your own posts?_

* * *

Tsukishima knows that Delic's there, behind him, before his twin pounces onto his back. The empty tea can in Tsuki's hands is crushed as Delic hugs him tightly before loosening up, untangling his limbs until only one arm hangs around Tsuki's shoulder.

"So," Delic purrs as he splays a hand over Tsukishima's chest, "dearest little brother-"

"We didn't do anything!" Tsukishima squeaks, his face already cherry red. No one else has gathered around the recycling bins, but they were still in the corner of the busy, very public lunchroom. Why Delic felt the need to discuss sex _here_ and _now_ was beyond Tsukishima, as always.

"Bullshit!" Delic spits.

"Nii-san!" Tsuki admonishes.

"I can see your name on Roppi's neck from here, you _animal_!" Playfully pushing Tsuki's chest, Delic drops his hand back to his side.

Tsukishima squeaks again, his embarrassment rising with Delic's volume. Sinking his face into his hand, the younger blond releases a muffled whine. " _Please, be quiet!_ "

"So? What did you get up to?" Delic persistently questions, leaning his head in closer to his sibling's. "Don't tell me that you two just made out!" He mock-whispers.

"No..." Tsukishima's voice drags, his volume so low that Delic has to almost knock their heads together to hear him. "We… We, uhm..."

"Don't start stuttering on me now, Tsuki!" Delic pleas as quietly as he can manage.

Tsukishima crumples further into himself as his embarrassment rages on like a wild fire. With his shoulders hunched in and head bowed into his arms, Tsuki squeaks for a third time. "We touched one another."

Delic squints at his shy sibling's choice of language, his lips pressing together to pout instead of tease. "Like how? Handjobs, fingering-"

"Nii-san!" Tsuki cries, his voice finally hitting a reasonably audible volume. Dropping his hands and shrugging Delic's arm off, Tsuki attempts a glare through his redden face. "It's n-n-none of your business!" He reprimands despite tripping on his tongue.

Delic blinks and leans back up to give his twin more space. "But-"

"No, Nii-san." Tsuki objects, shaking his head lightly. "Hachimen isn't going to hurt me and-" Tsukishima pauses, his eyes drifting away from his brother as he whispers again. "I can buy my own c-condoms." Face inflamed beyond it's limit with his admittance, Tsukishima jerkily tosses away his crushed can and swiftly walks out of the lunchroom, leaving Delic alone by the bins.

Psyche rolls around in his hidden nest as his chosen stays frozen. Unable to pop out with so many eyes around, Psyche pushes the button flap up to sneak a peek at Delic and immediately rolls his eyes.

Hand over his heart, Delic sniffles exaggeratedly while fluttering his eyelids. "They grow up so fast."


End file.
